WASHINGTON, Sept 28: The United States said on Friday that the Supreme Court’s decision to allow President Gen Pervez Musharraf to continue to hold two offices is based on the Constitution and the existing laws of Pakistan.

“We are watching the situation closely and waiting to see how things unfold,” said the US State Department when asked for comments on the judgment.

The cautious reaction reflects the US administration’s current approach of not getting involved in day-to-day developments in Pakistan and instead focussing on the need to ensure that the forthcoming national elections are “fair, free and transparent”, as a State Department official said.

Lately, US officials have been particularly careful about making any remarks about President Musharraf because there’s a general feeling in Washington that in today’s politically-charged situation in Pakistan; even a positive US response may hurt him.

Instead, the State Department official who commented on the judgment emphasised that the United States wanted to see Pakistan succeed as a modern and moderate country, led by the choice of the people.

“The Supreme Court has made a decision based on the Constitution and existing laws of Pakistan. We do not want to make any sort of assessments.”