Amidst domestic turmoil in Pakistan, the United States (US) has voiced support for freedom of expression without any violence and reiterated that a strong, stable and prosperous Pakistan is crucial to its ties with the country. “Our belief is that individuals should have the freedom to express themselves, but do so without participating in any violence, violence that would put government employees in government buildings in harm’s way. And specifically on the arrest, I spoke a little bit to this last week,” US State Department’s Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at his daily news conference in Washington.

Responding to a question on the ongoing developments in Pakistan, Dedant Patel said “The US does not have a position on one political party or one candidate or other. Our view is a strong, stable and prosperous Pakistan is crucial to US-Pakistan relations and that for any arrest that such an individual is affronted basic human rights in accordance to their laws.” Asked about the freedom of press in Pakistan, the State Department deputy spokesman said he is not going to be prescriptive about the current situation. “I do not have an assessment to offer from here. But broadly, we are very clear about the need for access for media and the access for information and the free flow of information between the government and journalists,” he added.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP