ISLAMABAD: A senior State Department official said on Wednesday the United States had consistently urged Pakistan to respect its citizens’ rights and legal obligations, following a resolution by US lawmakers demanding an impartial investigation into election manipulation allegations after the February 8 national polls.
The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted for a resolution to support democracy in Pakistan a day earlier, condemning “attempts to suppress the people of Pakistan’s participation in their democracy” and asking the government to respect due process of law, freedom of press and free speech in Pakistan.
While Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif dismissed the resolution as having “no value” and described it as political posturing in a US election year, experts pointed out that 85 percent of House members had voted on it, with 98 percent endorsing it.
Asked about the resolution, which also prodded President Joe Biden’s administration to collaborate with Pakistan in upholding democracy, human rights and rule of law, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said Washington was already committed to these principles.
“I’m not going to comment on that resolution specifically, but speaking generally, our most senior officials – including Secretary [Antony] Blinken and Ambassador [Donald] Blome – have consistently both privately and publicly urged Pakistan to respect the rights of its people and live with its constitutional and international obligations,” he said.
“We continuously urge the Government of Pakistan to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedoms of expression, association, peaceful assembly, and religion, as well as the rights of marginalized populations such as women and religious minorities,” he added.
Pakistan’s foreign office released a statement after the US House had voted, saying the resolution “stems from an incomplete understanding of the political situation and electoral process in Pakistan.”
However, the country’s defense minister was more curt in his response, saying the US had “no right to interfere in our internal affairs or give any sort of verdict on the matter.”
Washington’s support will be crucial for Islamabad in coming weeks as it looks to secure a fresh bailout from the International Monetary Fund to stave off an economic crisis.
The resolution will not have much impact on Washington’s policy toward Pakistan, Michael Kugelman, director of the Wilson Center’s South Asia Institute, said in a post on social media platform X.
But, he added, it raised questions about whether Pakistan legislation could follow, noting bipartisan support for the resolution.
- With inputs from Reuters
US says efforts already underway to strengthen Pakistan’s democracy after Congress seeks election probe
https://arab.news/5t8kb
US says efforts already underway to strengthen Pakistan’s democracy after Congress seeks election probe
- US House resolution prodded Biden administration to collaborate with Pakistan in upholding democracy, human rights
- Pakistan’s defense minister Khawaja Asif says the United States has ‘no right to interfere in our internal affairs’
Pakistan military says 13 militants killed in counterterror operations across northwest
- Military says counterterror operations launched in Bajaur, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber and South Waziristan districts
- The counterterror operations take place as Afghanistan and Pakistan remain locked in conflict since late last month
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces this week killed 13 militants in five separate counterterror operations in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the military’s media wing said on Sunday, vowing to eliminate militancy from the country.
The counterterror operations were conducted on Mar. 6-7, with Pakistani troops killing five militants in the northwestern Bajaur district in the first operation. In two other encounters in Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan district, security forces killed three militants belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
Meanwhile, five other militants were killed in two separate counterterror operations in Khyber and South Waziristan districts in which five more militants were slain.
“Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from Indian-sponsored killed khwarij, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area,” ISPR said in a statement.
Pakistan’s military frequently uses the term “Fitna al Khwarij” to describe TTP militants. The militant outfit has carried out some of the deadliest attacks against Pakistani civilians and security forces since 2007 in a bid to impose their strict brand of Islamic law across the country.
Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of sheltering the TTP and facilitating their attacks against Pakistan, a charge Kabul has denied. Pakistan also accuses India of supporting these militant groups, which New Delhi has repeatedly rejected.
The counterterror operations take place as Pakistan remains locked in conflict with Afghanistan since late February.
The worst fighting between the two sides began late last month when Afghan forces launched a surprise attack on Pakistani military installations along their shared border. Afghanistan said the assault was in retaliation for Pakistan’s earlier airstrikes in February on what Islamabad described as militant camps inside Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Saturday that Islamabad has killed 527 Afghan Taliban fighters and injured more than 755 since clashes began.
Afghanistan has also claimed attacking multiple Pakistani military bases and killing several Pakistani soldiers. Arab News has not independently verified the claims by both sides.
Pakistan has ruled out talks with Afghanistan and said it will continue its military operations in the country till it withdraws support for militant groups that Islamabad says operate from Afghanistan.
