US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu spoke up about problems with the February 8 elections in Pakistan.
He wrote a statement before speaking at a Congressional panel. In his four-page statement, he talked about how the US is worried about things like unfair treatment and violence that happened before the elections.
He mentioned that there were attacks on police, politicians, and political events by terrorist groups. Also, many journalists, especially women, were mistreated by supporters of different parties. Some political leaders couldn’t register their candidates properly, which put them at a disadvantage.
On the actual election day, a local organization that usually checks on elections said they couldn’t watch over the vote counting in more than half of the areas. Also, even though a court told them not to, the authorities shut down the internet on election day, which made it hard for people to use social media.
Despite these issues, Lu pointed out some good things about the election. He said over 60 million Pakistanis voted, including more than 21 million women, even though there were threats of violence. More women were elected to Parliament compared to the last election, and there were also more candidates from religious and ethnic minority groups and young people.
Lu also said that the United States and Pakistan are important partners. They both want to make Pakistan’s democratic system stronger and work together on things like fighting terrorism and supporting human rights.
He added that the US has helped Pakistan a lot over the years, giving them money for development, encouraging businesses to invest there, and helping out during disasters like floods.