Days after apparent snub to Islamabad which is seeking revival of IMF loan, the United States has declared that it would support and look forward to engage any government in Pakistan that is reflective of the Pakistani people’s will, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel, while addressing a news briefing in Washington on Monday, said “Our belief is that we would support and look forward to engaging any government in Pakistan that is reflective of the will of the Pakistani people. And we certainly don’t have anything to say on internal or domestic politics or dynamics there.”
The US spokesman declined to comment on Congressman Brad Sherman call on the American government to side with democracy in Pakistan and not with the leaders more pliable to Washington.
When asked as to whether India will be blacklisted over the issue of religious freedom, Patel replied “What I will say is that the US Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent US commission established to provide policy recommendations to the President, to the Secretary of State, and Congress. It is not a branch of the State Department or the Executive Branch, and its report reflects the importance of religious freedom to the American people. While the report’s recommendations for designations overlap for some extent with the State Department’s lists of Country of Particular Concern, it is not entirely conclusive. Governments or other entities that have questions or comments about this report should reach out to the commission directly.”
About blasphemy laws in Pakistan, he said “What I would say is that we strongly oppose laws that impede the ability of any individuals – irrespective of their national identity – to choose a faith, practise a faith, change their religion, not have a religion, or tell others about their religious beliefs and practices.”
On April 26 last, the United States had asked Pakistan to implement reforms agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to move forward.
The staff-level agreement was supposed to be signed on February 9 but had been delayed over IMF’s demands. “The reform(s) that Pakistan and IMF agreed to are not easy, but it’s crucial that Pakistan take these actions to bring the country back to sound financial footing, avoid falling into further debt and grow Pakistan’s economy,” said Elizabeth Horst, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Pakistan, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, while addressing an event at the Wilson Center late last month.
Horst had said the US has offered technical assistance to get Pakistan out of the economic crisis.
The State Department official further said with these reforms, Pakistan could be brought back on a strong financial basis, and the US would continue to support Pakistan through technical engagements and assistance. She had also urged that Pakistan should implement policies that promote a fair and transparent business environment.
Earlier, the International Monetary Fund welcomed the commitments made by Pakistan’s friendly countries to assist the cash-strapped South Asian country in reviving its months-long delayed $1.1 billion IMF loan tranche.