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| May 7, 2002 | Tuesday | Safar 23, 1423 |
US hand in referendum decision denied
QUETTA, May, 6: The United States has nothing to do with the decision of holding referendum in Pakistan and it was President Musharraf’s own decision.
This was stated by Lonnie Kelley Jr, newly-appointed Public Affairs Officer of the US Consulate, Karachi. He was speaking to newsmen at Quetta Press Club on Monday.
“Pakistan is a sovereign state that runs its affairs on its own,” he said, adding that it was a wrong impression that the US had played a role in the referendum decision-making.
“In my opinion, the referendum conducted by the government was not a presidential election. Through referendum, General Musharraf has got approved his name as presidential candidate for the presidential election, which would be held after the general elections,” Kelley Jr said.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan, he said, had already declared referendum legal and constitutional, and opined that things were being run according to the Constitution.
The US, he added, was for a democratic order for Pakistan that had been set in the right direction, heading towards democracy.
His country, the US diplomat further said, wanted peace and order and rule of law in Pakistan, and that all affairs be run according to the Constitution so that foreign investors could find conducive atmosphere for investment in this country.
He agreed with a questioner that President Musharraf had done well by extending all help and cooperation to the US and international community in rooting out the menace of terrorism both in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Responding to a question, he said the US government had provided $100 million to Afghan interim government for stopping poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. The US, he added, wanted a complete ban on drug business and in this connection would extend all help and cooperation to the Afghan government.
However, he said, according to an information a big stock of drug had been dumped in Afghanistan, enough for next five years.
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