WASHINGTON, Feb 24: A senior US State Department official said on Friday the national elections set for Pakistan next year will be an important test of the country’s commitment to democratic reform.

“The government in Islamabad must ensure that these elections are open, free and fair,” Josette Shiner, under secretary for economic, business and agricultural affairs, said.

Shiner addressed a gathering at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative research group.

President George W. Bush is scheduled to visit India and Pakistan next week.

On India, Shiner said US trade and investment with that country is only 10 per cent of what it is with China but said that share is increasing.

Shiner pointed out that US exports to India grew by 30 per cent last year while Indian exports to the US grew 20 per cent.

By 2025, “India’s economy will be one of the five largest in the world,” she said.

Pakistan has come a long way from its stagnant economic past, boasting the second fastest growing economy in Asia last year, Shiner said, crediting in part the “excellent economic team” assembled by President Gen Pervez Musharraf.—AP