Washington DC
\nThe chair of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee has regretted the denial of meaningful participation of all political parties and candidates in the recent general elections in Pakistan.
\n\u201cWhile I appreciate those in Pakistan who cast a vote in the electoral process this week, these long overdue elections were sadly overshadowed by actions that prevented the meaningful participation of all political parties and candidates,\u201d Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md) said in a statement issued on Saturday.
\n\u201cI condemn in the strongest terms the deadly bombings at election campaign offices in Balochistan and send my condolences to the victims and their families. These attacks must be investigated and the perpetrators need to be held accountable,\u201d he added in the statement available on the committee\u2019s website.
\nSenator Cardin added that as Pakistan\u2019s leaders proceed to form a new government, he will continue engaging on the issues that most directly impact the Pakistani people, from promoting democracy and human rights in the country to addressing challenges related to climate change and sustainable energy.
\n\u201cI look forward to continuing to find opportunities where the United States and Pakistan can advance our shared goals of security, stability, and prosperity across South Asia,\u201d he added.
\nA day earlier, Western capitals called into question the \u201cundue restrictions\u201d put in place during the February 8 elections in Pakistan and expressed concern over allegations of vote rigging, but pledged to work with whoever formed the next government.
\nThe United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, in their separate statements, called upon the relevant Pakistani authorities to ensure a timely and full investigation of all the reported irregularities in Thursday\u2019s elections.
\nFO \u2018surprised\u2019 on negative tone
\nResponding to the criticism, the Foreign Office earlier today said that it was \u201csurprised\u201d by the negative tone of some statements from foreign countries and organisations over the February 8 general elections held in Pakistan.
\nIn a statement, the FO said it had \u201ctaken note\u201d of such statements.
\n\u201cWe are surprised by the negative tone of some of these statements, which neither take into account the complexity of the electoral process nor acknowledge the free and enthusiastic exercise of the right to vote by tens of millions of Pakistanis,\u201d said the statement by FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch.
\nThe spokesperson maintained that the statements \u201cignore\u201d that elections were held in Pakistan peacefully and successfully while mitigating \u201cserious security threats resulting primarily from foreign-sponsored terrorism\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Washington DC The chair of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee has regretted the denial of meaningful participation of all political parties and candidates in the recent general elections in Pakistan. \u201cWhile I appreciate those in Pakistan who cast a vote in the electoral process this week, these long overdue elections were sadly overshadowed by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":386437,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-386426","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n