Coalition govt Pakistan’s internal matter; a norm in parliamentary system: US

WASHINGTON: The US Department of State has called the efforts to form a coalition government in Pakistan “ultimately an internal matter” and reiterated that it looks forward to working with the new government.

“You see this in a number of countries that have parliamentary system of government where no party has established a majority; you see the kind of coalition that are formed, ultimately that is not the decision for the US to make, it’s the decision for Pakistan to make,” the department’s spokesperson, Matthew Miller, said.

During the daily briefing on Wednesday, he said that investigation into allegations was the appropriate step to take. “That is our response to the question of allegations, not just in Pakistan but when we see them anywhere in the world. We think that they are thoroughly investigated and resolved, and so we will continue to call for that,” he said adding, “at the same time, it’s clear that the elections in Pakistan were competitive and we look forward to working with the government once it’s formed that the people of Pakistan elected.”

Meanwhile, the White House on Tuesday said that it was proud to stand with like-minded democracies as it “consistently convey clearly, both publicly and privately, to the Pakistani government and across the Pakistani political spectrum, the need to respect the will of the Pakistani people, and ensure a transparent election process is critical and is obviously important.”

Responding to a question about election results in Pakistan, the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said that the president was very much aware of it. “Millions of Pakistanis turned out to vote last week, including a record number of Pakistani women, members of religious and ethnic minority groups, and young voters,” she said congratulating the Pakistani people for participating in the elections, including poll workers, civil society members, journalists and election observers who have protected the country’s democratic and electoral institutions.