The U.S. has said it opposes any efforts to impose “extra-constitutional change” to the democratic system in Pakistan and supports Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as the elected leader of the country.
Asked whether the U.S. still supports Mr. Sharif and what message it has for Imran Khan and other demonstrators, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf told reporters, “Yes, we still do. He [Sharif] is the elected leader. We’ve said that repeatedly, and we’ve been carefully monitoring the demonstrations in Islamabad.”
“We’ve consistently said that the U.S. encourages all the parties to work together to resolve their differences through dialogue. Also, oppose any efforts to impose extra-constitutional change to the democratic system,” Ms. Harf said. “We have said that Nawaz Sharif is the elected leader of Pakistan,” Ms. Harf said when asked about allegations made by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan that the 2013 election in the country was rigged.
Meanwhile, Mr. Sharif on Friday sought the support of all parties in Parliament, stressing on “unity” amid protests, as the political logjam continued after several rounds of talks.
“I hope the opposition will continue on its path of supporting the government,” Mr. Sharif said on the fourth day of the emergency joint session of Parliament convened to support the Premier and discuss the over three week-long crisis that has led to the cancellation of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s maiden visit to Pakistan.
Mr. Sharif’s remarks came after overnight parleys between the government and the protesting groups — the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) — failed to break any ice on the issue of the Premier’s resignation.
A key member of the PTI team dispelled an impression that the party was about to seal a deal with the government.
“The two sides have only agreed broadly to our proposal of electoral reforms and establishing a judicial commission. There is no progress on the rest of our demands,” PTI leader Arif Alvi told Dawn News .
