WASHINGTON: United States has thrown support behind the newly electedgovernment of Shahbaz Sharif In Pakistan through a constitutional process.
A democratic Pakistan is critical to the interests of the United States,White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Monday, hours after ShehbazSharif was elected as the prime minister.
Ex-prime minister Imran Khan has blamed the US for backing theno-confidence motion against him and refused to accept the newly-electedpremier, saying “there can’t be any bigger insult to this country” — butthe Joe Biden administration denied any role.
In a press briefing at the White House, Psaki said: “We support thepeaceful upholding of constitutional democratic principles, we don’tsupport one political party over another.”
The White House press secretary said the United States “certainly” supportsthe principles of rule of law and equal justice under the law.
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Psaki added that the US values its long-standing cooperation with Pakistanand has always viewed a prosperous and democratic Pakistan as critical toUS interests — that remains unchanged regardless of who the leadership is.
In response to a question about whether Biden would call Shehbaz, Psakisaid: “In terms of future calls, I don’t have anything to predict at thispoint and time, obviously, we stay in close touch with them at a range oflevels.”
