WASHINGTON: The United States has reiterated that it considers Nawaz Sharif the elected prime minister of Pakistan and will continue to work with him.

Ignoring Imran Khan’s claim that such statements amounted to interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs, the US State Department again expressed its opposition to any extra-constitutional changes in the country.

“Nawaz Sharif is prime minister; that’s who we will keep working with, as we will with a number of people in Pakistan as well,” said the department’s deputy spokesperson Marie Harf.

“We’re monitoring the demonstrations … it’s something we’re looking at,” said the official. .

She noted that the US Ambassador to Pakistan, Richard Olson “meets quite frequently with a range of officials, and I believe that’s where the contact has occurred”.

Ms Harf, however, dispelled an impression that the United States was actively involved in defusing the tense situation.

“We are in no way involved in the process or the discussion between the parties. Any suggestion to the contrary is completely false,” she said.

“But we do think that there needs to be peaceful dialogue and no attempts to change Pakistan’s government through extra-constitutional attempts.”

In an earlier statement, the State Department strongly backed Mr Sharif’s “elected government”, declaring that it did not support any “extra-constitutional changes” in Pak­istan or those “attempting to impose” such changes.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2014