US will continue to monitor situation in Pakistan closely, says official

The United States will continue to monitor the situation in Pakistan, the Biden Administration said on Thursday, maintaining that it does not have a position on one candidate or the other.

The official's comments came in the wake of the arrest of former Pakistan premier Imran Khan in a corruption case, which led to violent protests across the main cities of the country and the calling of the army to contain the unruly supporters.

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"We continue to monitor the situation in Pakistan closely, and as the US has said before, we don’t have a position on one candidate or one political party versus another. What our interest is a safe and secure, prosperous Pakistan. That is in the interest of the US-Pakistan relations, and we call for the respect of democratic principles and the rule of law around the world," State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters.

The United States, he said, does not have a favoured candidate or a favoured political party, not just in Pakistan but as it relates to any government system around the world. "A prosperous and strong, democratic Pakistan is critical to US interests. That remains unchanged."

"On some of these areas, such as press freedom, human rights, things of that nature, we have consistently raised these issues with our counterparts not just in Pakistan but in other countries where we have a perspective to offer on that," Patel said in response to a question.

Patel said the US is looking to continue to strengthen economic ties between the two countries with collaboration in areas of security, renewable energy, climate crisis, and increasing agricultural trade. "That's what we mean by a strong, prosperous, and democratic Pakistan that is critical to US interests."