WAHINGTON, Dec 29: The United States is urging all moderate political forces in Pakistan, including the PML-N, to participate in the national elections.

A senior State Department official told a briefing in Washington that US diplomats were reaching out to moderate Pakistani political parties in the wake of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, urging them to join in the election process and to cooperate in fighting extremism.

Officials say Undersecretary for Political Affairs Nicolas Burns and Assistant Secretary for South Asia Richard Boucher are leading the effort, and calls have been made to, among others, PML-N leaders.

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