Concerns over the alleged irregularities in Pakistan elections echoed in the US State Department press briefing hall on Monday.
Some of the journalists in the hall raised a couple of queries related to the polls, events leading up to the elections, and the victory of candidates backed by former prime minister Imran Khan’s party.
Tens of millions of Pakistanis voted on February 8 to elect a new government for the next five years. The caretaker setup suspended the mobile services on the polling day given security concerns.
The interim government defended the decision by citing security threats, however, it did not share it with the media. Different attacks in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa killed several people in the two provinces days before the polls.
The US, UK, EU, and Australia expressed concerns over the irregularities in the elections and demanded the Pakistani government investigate the claims of fraud.
After more than half an hour at the weekly press briefing, a journalist asked a question on Pakistan polls.
The journalist sought an oral analysis of the Pakistani election from US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller. “Despite all efforts of rigging, Imran Khan came out as the winner. What is your oral analysis on the elections?”
In reply, the spokesperson mentioned his statement put out on Friday on the website.
He went on to congratulate the South Asian country on conducting the elections. Miller reiterated that the US joined the EU, the UK, and other countries to express concerns over some irregularities that the Western nations saw in the process.
“We’ve conveyed the need for the Pakistani Government to respect the will of the election,” he said and condemned political and election-related violence and restrictions on internet and cell phone service. Miller called for claims of interference and fraud in the polls.
Another question was related to the willingness of the US to work with the new Pakistani government amid the allegations of fraud and irregularities.
Miller said the government was not yet formed and the country would work with the government chosen by the people to represent them.
A journalist asked, “On the – I know you said there isn’t a Pakistani government yet, but certainly former Prime Minister Khan’s faction of – some of them are – independents came in ahead. Is there any concern about the legitimacy of whoever becomes the leader of Pakistan sooner or later?”
Miller replied that such claims should be investigated. He described the general elections as a “competitive” election in which people were able to exercise their choice.
A foreign media journalist asked whether the US was concerned about the freedom of assembly in Pakistan amid authorities ban on assembly at a time when some of Khan’s supporters called for protests.
Miller stated that the administration wanted to see the freedom of assembly respected anywhere in the world.
Another foreign media correspondent picked up on Miller’s Pakistan comment.
“I think you said that you were – the State Department hopes that the Pakistan–Pakistani courts will take a close look at this matter. You’ve also heard from a lot of members of Congress who have said there should be an independent investigation of the fraud before the US recognizes any new government. The high – and I’m not sure if you saw this. The high court in Pakistan just tossed out most of the challenges despite the fact that the media there has seen 100 percent of the returns and the challenges are entirely legitimate. It’s like not even a he-said/she-said. So the court process seems to already have played out. Does the State Department want to see an independent investigation, as members of Congress are calling for?”
Miller replied, “So I don’t know which – what – what – venue is not the right word, but what body they are proposing to conduct an independent investigation would be. I’m happy to look at that, if there’s a specific proposal. Right now we think as a matter of first course, it’s that the legal system play itself out in Pakistan. That’s a – that’s the appropriate first step to take, and we think that’s the step that should be taken. If there are additional steps that ought to be entertained, we’re happy to look at them at that time.”
