US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Thursday that the United States was keen on continuing to foster a relationship with the new government in Pakistan, whoever it may be.
He made these remarks while responding to media queries during the weekly press briefing.
“When it comes to Pakistan, that is for the people of Pakistan to decide [their leadership.] We are interested in taking appropriate steps to continue to foster our relationship with the government of Pakistan, whatever it should be.”
The deputy spokesperson refused to comment on questions regarding the delay in election results and possibilities of post-poll rigging, but condemned “all instances of election-related violence” and steps taken to restrict freedom of expression specifically around the internet and cell phones.
Past midnight, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) directed all provincial election commissioners and returning officers to announce the results of the General Election 2024 within half an hour or “face strict action”.
However, the deadline long passed but the ECP had yet to announce results for the majority of the National Assembly and provincial assembly seats.
Results of General Elections 2024: here is what the vote-count suggests so far
So far, the ECP has only announced the official results of a few provincial seats from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), more than 10 hours after the polling time ended.
According to the official results, announced by the Special Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan Zafar Iqbal, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed candidates won both constituencies.
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