WASHINGTON: The US State Department has described Pakistan’s current political situation as an internal matter of the country and avoided making policy statement before the announcement of a new strategy for the Pak-Afghan region.

The department also avoided endorsing the Indian claim that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was behind this week’s terrorist attack in India-held Kashmir and declined to identify the Taliban as a terrorist outfit.

“We refer you to the government of Pakistan for further information on this internal matter,” a State Department spokesperson told Dawn when asked to comment on the situation following the JIT report, which has created serious doubts about the political future of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and members of his family. The report blamed Mr Sharif and his family for having wealth beyond their stated means of income.

While the political situation in Pakistan is still too uncertain for a foreign government to comment on, at Tuesday afternoon’s regular news briefing State Depart­ment spokesperson Heather Nauert also avoided endorsing the Indian claim that LeT was behind this week’s terrorist attack in the held valley that killed seven Hindu pilgrims.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2017