Protests should be held peacefully, govts should deal with them as per rule of law: Matthew Miller

WASHINGTON (92 News) - US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller has said that protests should be conducted peacefully and governments should deal with them consistent with the rule of law and respect for free speech.

Responding to queries with regard to the violent May 9 protests in Pakistan during a weekly briefing on Monday, he said: “So our thoughts are the same anywhere in the world, which is we support legitimate, free expression, including the right to protest, the right to peaceful assembly, and we oppose violent actions, we oppose vandalism, looting, arson. That would be true anywhere in the world.”

To a question about Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s statement that Pakistan will continue launching attacks against terrorist groups in Afghanistan as a part of a new military campaign, he said that the Pakistani people have suffered greatly at the hands of terrorists. “We have a shared interest in combating threats to regional security. We partner with a range of Pakistani civilian institutions and regularly engage the Government of Pakistan to identify opportunities to build capacity and strengthen regional security, including in our annual high-level counterterrorism dialogue,” he declared.

Responding to queries with regard to the violent May 9 protests in Pakistan during a weekly briefing on Monday, he said: “So our thoughts are the same anywhere in the world, which is we support legitimate, free expression, including the right to protest, the right to peaceful assembly, and we oppose violent actions, we oppose vandalism, looting, arson. That would be true anywhere in the world.”

To a question about Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s statement that Pakistan will continue launching attacks against terrorist groups in Afghanistan as a part of a new military campaign, he said that the Pakistani people have suffered greatly at the hands of terrorists.

“We have a shared interest in combating threats to regional security. We partner with a range of Pakistani civilian institutions and regularly engage the Government of Pakistan to identify opportunities to build capacity and strengthen regional security, including in our annual high-level counterterrorism dialogue,” he declared.