WASHINGTON: The United States has said that it will not “weigh in on” Pakistan to restore a moratorium on death penalty.

At a news briefing at the State Department, spokesperson Marie Harf described Pakistan’s decision to execute terrorists as an internal matter and refused to take a position on this issue. “Clearly this is an issue for Pakistan — a decision for Pakistan. It’s not really ours to weigh in on,” said the US official when a journalist asked her what is the US position on the issue.

Ms Harf explained that the US had maintained close contact with all levels of the Pakistani government since last week’s terrorist attack on a school in Peshawar.

President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after the attack and offered to provide any assistance that Pakistan might need to deal with terrorism. “But nothing on that specific for you,” said Ms Harf while returning to the request for comments on Pakistan’s decision to lift the moratorium.

“But human rights bodies are asking Pakistan to go back to the same moratorium on executions,” said another journalist.

“We just don’t have a position on that to outline for you,” the State Department official replied.

She said that “more Pakis­tanis are victims of terrorism, I think, than anywhere in the world”.

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2014