Days after the date for general elections was fixed in Pakistan, the United States government has said it is ‘focused’ on making sure fair elections take place in the country.

During a regular press briefing on Monday, State Department’s Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said that the people of Pakistan should be able to assess who they think was a good candidate in the election.

“Again, don’t have an assessment on the makeup of candidates or the representation of any specific political party. That is for the people of Pakistan to decide,” Patel said in response to a question about Imran Khan being in jail as elections approach.

However, he added that the US wanted to ensure and support fair elections in the interest of the people of Pakistan.

“Our focus continues to be on ensuring and supporting that there are free and fair elections that are conducted in a way for the benefit of the Pakistani people,” Patel said.

In an earlier press briefing, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller had said that the US does not take any position regarding elections in the country and does not support any political party.