Senior US diplomat Victoria Nuland spoke on Tuesday with Pakistani Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani and discussed the importance of "timely, free and fair elections" in the South Asian nation, the US State Department said. Acting Deputy Secretary Nuland and Foreign Minister Jilani discussed the importance of timely, free and fair elections in a manner consistent with Pakistan laws and constitution,the US State Department said in a statement. Pakistani politics has been in a crisis for over a year, with former Prime Minister and PTI chief - who was ousted in a parliamentary vote of no confidence last year - being at the center of it. A Pakistani high court on Tuesday suspended the jailed former prime minister sentence on corruption charges, but he will remain behind bars as a judge had already ordered his detention in another case.

The conviction of PTI chief, who remains Pakistan most popular leader according to opinion polls, has also barred him from contesting elections for five years. Pakistan swore in a caretaker cabinet under interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar in mid-August, tasking it with running the country until fresh elections, which may be delayed beyond November as constituency boundaries are redrawn. The caretaker cabinet top job will be to lead Pakistan towards economic stabilization, with the $350 billion economy treading a narrow recovery path after getting a last-minute $3 billion bailout deal from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), averting a sovereign debt default. The election commission earlier this month said new constituencies based on the latest census would be finalized by Dec. 14. After that, the commission will confirm an election date. Nuland and Jilani also discussed Pakistan's economic stability and continued engagement with the IMF, the State Department said.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)