Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani said that the US undersecretary of state had spoken to him about free and fair elections in the country.

Speaking to reporters in an informal session, Jillani said that elections would take place inside the constitutional limit and the caretaker government would not participate in any political activities.

He added that organising the elections was the job of the Election Commission of Pakistan, not the caretaker government.

Jilani said that Pakistan had ‘strong’ relations with the US. He also denied reports that the US had asked Pakistan to cut off trade relations with any country.

He added that the Cricket World Cup in India was an international event and participation by Pakistan did not change its relations with the host state. He said he hoped India would provide complete security to Pakistan’s team.

Jilani said that talks with India can only proceed on a principled basis. He also said that Pakistan has clear evidence for India’s support for terrorism in Pakistan.