2013 elections free and fair, says US
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WASHINGTON: The US State Department has said that the United States still believes Pakistan’s last elections were free and fair, as it did in 2013 when the polls were held.
In 2013, President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry issued a statement soon after the results were announced, congratulating the people of Pakistan for holding such successful elections.
Also read: US calls for dialogue
At a news briefing in Washington, the department’s spokesperson Jen Psaki also noted that protests at D-Chowk in Islamabad had subsided and the situation was returning to normal.
“Nothing has changed in our view. You know how closely we’re watching the situation,” said Ms Psaki when asked if the United States still considered the 2013 elections as “free and fair” as it did when they were held or it agreed with Imran Khan’s claim that the polls were rigged.
“As I understand in Pakistan, the protests have died down and things have calmed a bit in the streets,” said the US official.
“I also want to make clear that our embassy is fully open there in Islamabad. I know there was some confusion about that yesterday,” she added.
Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2014
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Comments (40) Closed
Sep 05, 2014 06:39am
no one is believing on u
election was free and fair because it is of your choice
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Sep 05, 2014 06:44am
NS. got a certificate from uncle Sam.
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Sep 05, 2014 06:45am
Pakistanis need to understand these conferences they hold are for general briefing not just for Pakistan, so need to get worked up on why US is interfering.
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Sep 05, 2014 06:45am
There is no unequivocal statement except things are calmer and they are functioning from their embassy
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Sep 05, 2014 06:50am
Now I am 100% sure that these elections were rigged.
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Sep 05, 2014 06:53am
Jen,
Get out of our business! You have no idea what the political systems are in Pakistan. Tell Kenny to speak himself.. no? i think so...
If you continue to speak about our country, you'll be in a deep trouble or stay away from us in Pakistan.
Your brother
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Sep 05, 2014 07:00am
US knows that in a democratic country everyone has equal right to justice. Imran Khan wanted to prove the rigging in 2013 elections through the proper channel (courts ) but neither Nawaz Sharif government nor Supreme Court paid any attention to his requests. It took him one year to decide to come on the street. Now that he is on the street with thousands of his supporters, Nawaz Sharif has accepted his demands to investigate the rigging. Why couldn't he do the same before all this mess. It proves Nawaz' guilt.
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Sep 05, 2014 07:04am
lolzz This is a good comedy by Jen Psaki. Just like Iraq is a democratic country after US invasion. Why don't you have recounting done in some of the constituencies to see how far away you are from Truth
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Sep 05, 2014 07:27am
Apparently the US State Department knows more about the elections than every member of Pakistan's Parliament, as well as NGOs like FAFEN... Maybe another Snowdown/Wikileaks type incident will tell us what they really know.
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Sep 05, 2014 07:39am
Superb Supreme Court decision/judgment is received, no need of further judicial inquiries. Many thanks to Big Brother.
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Sep 05, 2014 07:45am
What a joke, when there is my entrust then i always declare that the election is free and fair. A big example is Iraq in front of us there were quantity of mass destruction weapons and at the end of day nothing was found and they killed over 7 millions of Iraqis. Shame
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Sep 05, 2014 07:51am
Uncle Sam is throwing its weight around as usual
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Sep 05, 2014 07:55am
If she had said the elections were rigged then i would have said they were fair, if she says they were fair, that means they were rigged.
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Sep 05, 2014 08:21am
Yeah Sure, LOL
vote Bank went up from 60 lakh to 150lakh in just one province where the brother was CM. Not anywhere else.
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Sep 05, 2014 08:22am
joke ?
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Sep 05, 2014 08:23am
Joke of the day.
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Sep 05, 2014 08:24am
and in other news..... U.S found WMDs in Iraq !
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Sep 05, 2014 08:25am
PTI is daydreaming, They were never in a position to form gov in 2013 elections(even without any rigging) and will not form gov even if elections are held today. PTI is on the way to becoming Q-league. If IK had accepted the reform package, he would be seen as a hero but conspiring with hidden powers to become PM, he has become a Villian. I voted for PTI in 2013 but in next election ill vote for Jamat-e-islami. Siraj-ul-haq is more honest than IK and all his policies are similar to PTI. The plus point is that he is a true democrat not a stooge.
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Sep 05, 2014 08:32am
Just like Iraq had weapons of mass destruction? USA should not interfere in the internal matters of Pakistan! How many times do we have to tell them that? Each party and the entire country knows that the elections were rigged massively. One can not make an apple look like a banana.
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Sep 05, 2014 08:42am
Because they dont want and cannot control IK.
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Sep 05, 2014 09:00am
You are watching closely!!!! Get your eye sight checked
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Sep 05, 2014 09:20am
Beneficiaries speaks for itself :-)
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Sep 05, 2014 09:20am
Let Pak Election Commission hold 2016 US presidential elections, if they were that free and fair.
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Sep 05, 2014 09:39am
Pakistan
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Sep 05, 2014 09:41am
Did some one ask you ? We don't need your endorsements go solve your own issues where police is still killing un armed people because of the color of their skins
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Sep 05, 2014 09:42am
Tell the truth and shame the devil.
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Sep 05, 2014 09:43am
US has very high standards for electoral fairness. Now I know how governments win election in US.
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Sep 05, 2014 09:51am
@Haroon Khan ---Well said, Also sure about the doctor who did surgery
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Sep 05, 2014 09:54am
Can someone please name a country where peace returned or prevailed after the good wishes by the master.
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Sep 05, 2014 10:02am
Please concentrate on countries where you can succeed, surely Pakistan is not among such countries. Some leaders in Pakistan can be purchased but not the masses.
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Sep 05, 2014 10:03am
Now what more evidence the protesters need after US state department issues a fairness certificate to Pakistani Government. Don,t Pakistanis have a blind faith in the US officials???.
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Sep 05, 2014 10:06am
How can U.S. make these incorrect statements?
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Sep 05, 2014 10:24am
me too is 100% sure that this election was rigged, I myself is a witness of this rigged election...
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Sep 05, 2014 10:31am
America should not interfere in internal matters of Pakistan. On what basis America is claiming that the elections were not rigged? Had America sent some monitoring teams during elections to oversee the polls?
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Sep 05, 2014 10:59am
The news briefing in Washington by the state department is not about fairness of election but show solidarity with NS government against IK and TUQ. The message is delivered for consumption of those who matter.
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Sep 05, 2014 11:05am
Who asked their opinion?
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Sep 05, 2014 11:12am
Fair and free.....really ??? Up to how many per cent ? Recently a minister admitted in the ongoing assembly session that it was not 100 pc free and fair. The US seems to be knowing more than our own minister. The US need to know that it has never been free and fair ...riggings do take place for sure. Why the US needed to speak in favour of our elections and that too at this stage of protests ?? On occasions it is said that it is internal matter, but now favour for election results. What message and for whom ??? Why interfere in our internal matter ???
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Sep 05, 2014 11:50am
Madam Jen Psaki endorsing the Demo(crazy) of the US, By the US and for the US. Why dont they look into their own elections. Why there is no third or fourth political party. Why only Democrats and Republicans. They want only PPP and PML(N) to keep the power in turn and plunder the nation but keep American interests in tact. Has any democrat took 23 votes and became a member of parliament.
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Sep 05, 2014 12:02pm
Friends, i have two doubts in so far as the allegation of Rigging and demand for recounting is concerned.
1. If the Polling was rigged at the time of polling, How does Recounting help, as they will be recounting the same ballots rigged at the time of polling?
2. If the polling was rigged at the time of counting, what were the PTI polling agents at the counting place doing while the counting was rigged? They could have challenged it then and there.
Can someone enlighten me on this issue?
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Sep 05, 2014 05:26pm
Come on state department..just look around and find something better to comment upon. Btw, you said a few days ago that you are not interfering in Pakistan's politics. ..and again your nose is stuck right in the middle of it. Just relax and GFY..that would be great.
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