ISLAMABAD, Nov 18: US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte on Sunday called upon the government to end emergency rule and create an environment for credible elections.
“Emergency rule is not compatible with free, fair and credible elections, which require active participation of political parties, civil society and the media. The people of Pakistan deserve an opportunity to choose their leaders free from the restrictions that exist under a state of emergency,” he said at a press conference at the United States embassy here before flying back to Washington after a two-day visit to Pakistan.
He observed that recent police actions against protesters, suppression of the media and arrests of political and human rights leaders ran counter to the reforms undertaken in recent years. Their continuation undermined the progress Pakistan had made.
He urged the government to stop such actions, lift the state of emergency and release all political detainees.
Despite President Pervez Musharraf’s refusal to lift emergency until the law and order situation improved, Mr Negroponte said he would not characterise his trip as a failure. It was an opportunity to communicate concerns, he added.
“In diplomacy, as you know, we don’t get instant replies when we have these kinds of dialogue. I am sure the president is seriously considering the exchange we had,” he remarked.
He hoped to see more steps toward democracy soon. “There remain some other issues that are yet to be considered, or yet to be undertaken,” he said.
He said the US wanted to see the political process in Pakistan back on track as soon as possible. He expressed the hope that ‘other steps’ would be taken soon to ensure free and fair elections.
He declined to answer a question about the possibility of suspension of US aid if the state of emergency was not lifted.
Mr Negroponte said that during his meeting with President Musharraf he had reiterated his vision for a moderate, prosperous and democratic Pakistan. Under his leadership, Pakistan had made great progress toward that vision. Over the past few years, the Pakistani people had witnessed an expanded and free media, unprecedented economic growth and development and the moderation of gender-based laws and school curricula. President Musharraf had been and continued to be a strong voice against extremism. “We value our partnership with the government of Pakistan under the leadership of President Musharraf,” he stressed.
He welcomed President Musharraf’s announcement that elections would take place in January, saying that he had reiterated the commitment in categorical terms.
“He also repeated his commitment to retire from his army post before commencing his second presidential term and we urge him to do so as soon as possible,” Mr Negroponte said.
He expressed the desire to see Gen Musharraf and Pakistan People’s Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto resuming talks. “If steps are taken by both sides to move back toward the kind of reconciliation discussions they were having recently, we think that would be very positive and could help improve the political environment,” he said.
He said the best way for any country to counter violent extremism was to develop and nurture a moderate political centre. That was true for Pakistan as well and in his talks he had encouraged reconciliation among political moderates as the most constructive way forward, adding that the path of reconciliation was desirable for meaningful elections.
He said a democratic Pakistan that continued the fight against terror was vital to the interests of both the US and Pakistan.
“In the current circumstances, engagement and dialogue – not brinksmanship and confrontation – should be the order of the day for all parties.” The US supported Pakistani people in their efforts to develop a prosperous and democratic nation.
Answering a question, he said the US was concerned over religious militancy in the NWFP and it believed that it would take some time for Islamabad to overcome the unrest.
Pakistan faced challenges in Swat where pro-Taliban militants loyal to a radical cleric had made sweeping gains over the past few months. “It is yet another reason to be concerned about the situation in Pakistan. The situation in Swat is a reminder of the fact that there are issues to deal with regarding violent extremists in this country.”
He said the government was undertaking major efforts to deal with the situation. He said it was a matter of high priority for both the countries and the US support to Pakistan in this regard would continue.
He said the determined efforts of extremists were there, but there was no reason to doubt the commitment of the government, the army and the security forces.
Call rejected
Pakistan on Sunday dismissed a call by America’s No 2 diplomat for President Gen Pervez Musharraf to restore the constitution and free thousands of political opponents, saying that the US envoy had brought no new proposals and received no assurances in return.
“This is nothing new,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammed Sadiq told The Associated Press, referring to Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte’s warning that Gen Musharraf must end emergency rule as soon as possible. “The US has been saying this for many days. He has said that same thing. He has reiterated it.”—AP
