US acting deputy secretary discusses importance of free and timely elections with FM Jillani over phone, says official statement
\nISLAMABAD
\nThe United States has called for \u201ctimely, free and fair elections\u201d in Pakistan in a manner which is consistent with Pakistan\u2019s laws and Constitution.
\nThe call was made by US Acting Deputy Secretary of State and Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland in telephonic conversation with Pakistan Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on Tuesday, the US State Department said.
\nDuring the phone call, Victoria Nuland congratulated Foreign Minister Jilani on his appointment. They discussed broadening and deepening the US-Pakistan partnership on issues of mutual concern, including Pakistan\u2019s economic stability, prosperity, and continued engagement with the IMF.
\nNuland and Foreign Minister Jilani also discussed the importance of timely, free and fair elections in a manner consistent with Pakistan\u2019s laws and Constitution. Later, in a post uploaded on X, formerly known as Twitters, Nuland appreciated the phone conversation with Foreign Minister Jilani.
\nPakistani politics has been in a crisis for over a year, with PTI chief and former prime minister Imran Khan – who was ousted in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence last year – being at the centre of it. Imran Khan had blamed the United States for his ousting which the Washington had denied repeately.
\nThe State Department statement on the call between Nuland and Jilani made no mention of Imran Khan. Islamabad High Court on Tuesday suspended Imran Khan\u2019s three-year jail sentence, but he will remain behind bars as a judge had already ordered his detention in another case.
\nThe conviction of Imran Khan, who remains Pakistan\u2019s most popular leader according to opinion polls, has also barred him from contesting elections for five years. A caretaker cabinet under interim Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar had been sworn in mid-August, tasking it with running the country until fresh elections, which may be delayed beyond November as constituency boundaries are redrawn.
\nThe caretaker cabinet\u2019s top job will be to lead Pakistan towards economic stabilization, with the $350 billion economy treading a narrow recovery path after getting a last-minute $3 billion bailout deal from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), averting a sovereign debt default.
\nThe Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had earlier this month said new constituencies based on the latest census would be finalized by December 14. After that, the commission will confirm the election date. Nuland and Jilani also discussed Pakistan\u2019s economic stability and continued engagement with the IMF, the State Department said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
US acting deputy secretary discusses importance of free and timely elections with FM Jillani over phone, says official statement ISLAMABAD The United States has called for \u201ctimely, free and fair elections\u201d in Pakistan in a manner which is consistent with Pakistan\u2019s laws and Constitution. The call was made by US Acting Deputy Secretary of State […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":352703,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-352675","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n