The United States of America has said that while it supports the right to protest and free expression, it opposes violent actions, vandalism, looting and arson, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller said this while responding to a question regarding the May 9 riots in Pakistan following PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan’s arrest last year.

Miller was asked about Washington’s stance on the violent May 9, 2023 protests across Pakistan, where angry supporters of Imran Khan attacked government and military installations in response to his brief arrest on corruption charges. 

A nationwide crackdown was launched against Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders and supporters in the aftermath of the protests, with many of them publicly parting ways with the former prime minister. 

At least 103 people linked to the May 9 riots are currently being tried in military courts, unleashing widespread criticism from within Pakistan and rights organizations globally over the courts’ secretive nature and existence alongside a functioning civilian legal system. 

During his daily news briefing in Washington on Monday, Miller said “We urge all – first of all, let me say all protests should be conducted peacefully, and governments should deal with them consistent with the rule of law and respect for free speech.”

“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,” Miller said about the May 9 protests. 

He said Washington expected governments to deal with such protests “consistent with the rule of law and respect for free speech.”

Earlier, the US State Department had said that the former PM’s arrest was “Pakistan’s internal matter”.

The PTI founder has been in jail since last August and was convicted in some cases ahead of a national election in February this year. Imran Khan is also fighting dozens of other cases which are continuing.

Responding to another question on whether the US would support Pakistan if it conducted cross-border attacks against militant targets in Afghanistan, Matthew Miller said Washington has a shared interest with Islamabad in combating regional security threats. “So the Pakistani people have suffered greatly at the hands of terrorists,” Miller told reporters, adding “We have a shared interest in combating threats to regional security.”

Miller said the United States partners with a range of civilian institutions in Pakistan and regularly engages the Pakistani government to identify opportunities to build capacity and strengthen regional security.