May 15, 2007	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 27, 1428

WASHINGTON, May 14: The United States on Monday urged all parties involved in the current political dispute in Pakistan to avoid violence and resolve their differences peacefully.

“Violence can never resolve political issues and it should not be used as a mechanism to do so,” a State Department official told Dawn when asked to comment on the current situation.

“We are watching Karachi; we are watching rest of the country,” the official added. “We think the violence is tragic, it is deplorable.”

Asked if the United States has conveyed its concerns about the current situation to Islamabad, the official said: “We have expressed our concerns and our concerns are known to the government of Pakistan.”

The official, however, said that Washington was aware that the local government was taking measures to restore law and order. When reminded that in many cases police allowed armed gangs to beat people and did not intervene when they stopped ambulances from reaching the wounded who could have been saved if provided medical facilities on time, the official said: “It is better that they are starting to do something, better than not doing anything.”

Sympathising with those killed or wounded in Saturday’s violence, the official said: “We are urging all parties to practice restraints, respect the law, and avoid violence and search for peaceful solution to the current political dispute.”

Asked if the US government was concerned that recent events had weakened President Gen Pervez Musharraf, the State Department official said: “I don’t know if I would characteristic it that way. We are concerned about the safety and welfare of the Pakistani people. We do not want any more violence. We would like to see political disputes resolved peacefully and in accordance with the Pakistani law.”

The official said that the situation in Karachi and the issues raised by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry’s case need to be resolved by the Pakistanis themselves through peaceful and constitutional means.

The official emphasised that the US desires the case against the chief justice to be handled in a transparent manner and in consistent with Pakistan’s legal system.Asked if the US was alarmed that a judicial dispute was turning rapidly into a campaign against President Musharraf, the official said: “I don’t want get into what it means for President Musharraf. A leader of another country is doing what he should do. It is not for me to comment.”

Earlier, at a briefing at the White House, spokesman Tony Snow said the United States was watching the situation in Pakistan.

“We’re studying them in terms of trying to read what’s going on politically within Pakistan,” he said.