WASHINGTON, Nov 6: The United States has started the process of reviewing its economic and military assistance to Pakistan, the State Department said on Tuesday, but cautioned that the process would not be ‘hasty’.

“A review of assistance is underway. We are assessing all our assistance to Pakistan and we are looking at options,” a State Department official told Dawn.

“This process is not going to be hasty. We are looking at every thing,” the official added.At a regular briefing at the State Department, Spokesman Sean McCormack said that people in the State Department, Department of Defence and other government agencies were looking at US assistance programmes to Pakistan.

Representatives from these agencies, he said, were looking at various US laws that require immediate sanctions against a government that acts against democracy.

“I can’t give you a timeline for how long this review will be under way, but it’s something that we’re actively engaged in,” Mr McCormack said.

At an earlier briefing at the White House, a senior US official also had hinted at the possibility of reviewing those assistance programmes for Pakistan that are directly affected by US laws aimed at promoting democracy in allied nations. But the official also made it clear that there would be no sweeping sanctions against Pakistan. Other US officials have said that any sanctions imposed against Pakistan will not affect aid for fighting terrorism, humanitarian assistance and programmes that directly benefit the Pakistani people.

A Pentagon official, however, told reporters on Monday that the restrictions could affect major military assistance programmes, such as the sale of 36 F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

“The ultimate goal here is to make sure that anything that we do helps Pakistan get further down that road of building democratic institutions, down the pathway to democracy, down the pathway to further political and economic reform,” he said.

The State Department spokesman urged the Musharraf government to work with the United States to help achieve those targets. “What needs to happen first is that President Musharraf, his government need to rescind and roll back the extra-constitutional orders that they have given, get back on the pathway to democracy.”

Mr McCormack recalled that President Musharraf has made certain commitments with respect to taking off the uniform and to holding elections as scheduled in January. “We have, through a number of different means, conveyed to him that we expect him to abide by those commitments,” he said.

Mr McCormack said that on Tuesday, US Ambassador Anne Patterson visited the Election Commission in Islamabad “to again reiterate our view that the elections need to take place … as scheduled in January.”

The ambassador, he said, conveyed to the Election Commission that the US expects these elections to take place in an atmosphere free from intimidation, and conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner.