US will work with govt whoever Pakistani people choose to represent them: Mathew Miller

WASHINGTON (92 News) - US State Department Spokesman Mathew Miller has said that the US will work with the government whoever the Pakistani people choose to represent them.

He was responding to the queries during a briefing on Monday, he said: "We congratulate the Pakistani people, first of all, for participating in the election on Thursday. That includes poll workers, civil society members, journalists, and election observers who have protected Pakistan’s democratic and electoral institutions. We did express concerns publicly – we also expressed those concerns privately and joined the EU, the UK, and other countries in doing so – with some irregularities that we saw in the process. We have conveyed the need for the Pakistani government to respect the will of the election.

"We emphasize repeatedly that we want to see the rule of law, respect for constitution, free press, vibrant civil society respected in the run-up to the election. We continue to believe that is the case. We condemn political and election-related violence and restrictions on internet and cell phone service. Those negatively impacted the electoral service. The claims of interference and fraud that we have seen raised we want to ensure are fully investigated by Pakistan’s legal system, and we will be continuing to monitor that in the days ahead."

He said that it was clearly a competitive election in which people were able to exercise their choice. "Now, that said, there were irregularities; we want to see them investigated. But ultimately, we respect the democratic process and we are ready to work with the government once it is formed.