US supports Pakistani people’s right to determine country’s future and governance

WASHINGTON: The United States Department of State Spokesperson Matthew Miller said the people of Pakistan should be able to decide their own government and the future of their country, while calling for freedom of expression and free press within Pakistan.

During a press briefing in Washington on Tuesday, Miller said that “what we want is people of Pakistan to be able to decide [the] future of the country including their own government”.

Read more: US refrains from commenting on Pakistan’s government formation, terms it internal matter

In light of recent events, including reports of journalists detailing alleged election rigging and the expulsion of the New York Times bureau chief from Pakistan, the State Department spokesperson reaffirmed his government’s stance on the importance of freedom of expression and press freedom.

Miller said that these rights should be upheld in Pakistan, as they are elsewhere in the world. “[W]e want to see freedom of expression and right to free press observed in Pakistan, as it is … anywhere else [in] the world”.

On a question regarding allegations of US interference in political matters of Pakistan, Miller stated that the allegations were false. “All I can do is stand up here and say the truth. Those allegations are incorrect, they are false”, he said.

He stated the United States’ desire for the people of Pakistan to have the freedom to decide the future of their country, including their government.