US wants that there are free and fair elections that are conducted in a way for the benefit of the Pakistani people, says spokesperson
The US wants elections that benefit the people of Pakistan.
He claims he has no evaluation of candidates or political parties.
The ECP has announced elections to be held in the country on February 8.
WASHINGTON: The US State Department said on Tuesday that they are focused on "ensuring and supporting" that free and fair elections are held in Pakistan in a manner that would benefit the people.
US State Department Deputy Chief Spokesperson Vedant Patel made the remarks while responding to a question about the Pakistan elections and doubts about Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan's participation in the elections.
On Imran Khan, Patel said he did not have "an assessment of the composition of the candidates or the representation of any particular political party".
“That is for the people of Pakistan to decide. We remain focused on ensuring and supporting free and fair elections that benefit the people of Pakistan,” the State Department said.
Last week, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), in compliance with Supreme Court directives, announced that the general election would be held on February 8, 2024, ending months of ambiguity surrounding the polling date.
The apex electoral body announced the election date after consulting President Arif Alvi on the orders of a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, which heard several petitions for early elections within 90 days.
Prior to this, the country has been gripped by political uncertainty since Imran Khan's government was removed through a no-confidence motion in April 2022.
The Shehbaz Sharif-led government, which took over from Khan, dissolved the National Assembly on 9 August, while the Sindh and Balochistan assemblies were also dissolved early to allow the electoral body to hold elections in the country within 90 days.
If the assemblies were dissolved in time, the electoral body was constitutionally obliged to hold elections within 60 days.
However, the ECP decided not to hold the polls within the stipulated time as the Council of Common Interest (CCI), days before the dissolution of the assembly, approved the 7th Population, House and Housing Census 2023.
The CCI's approval stipulated that the commission would compulsorily hold elections after the new delimitations in light of the census results.
Subsequently, on August 17, the ECP announced the schedule of new delimitations to be carried out according to the new census results.
However, in September, the commission announced that the country's general elections would be held in the last week of January 2024.
In the same month, the ECP also released a preliminary report on the delimitation of constituencies. However, before the announcement, several petitions were filed in the Supreme Court against the delays in the elections.
All the petitioners requested the apex court to ensure that the elections are held within 90 days.
These petitions were filed during the tenure of former Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, but were not meant to be heard.
