By Arun Kumar
IANS
Washington : The US is watching events in Pakistan closely but would not tell its ally what to do even as three lawmakers demanded that President Pervez Musharraf be encouraged to restore democratic processes.
"The Pakistani people are going to have to resolve this issue for themselves," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Tuesday when asked about a letter sent by the Congressmen to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warning that Musharraf's use of violent intimidation to quell political protests threatened their interests.
"They are going to have to decide for themselves whether or not rule of law has been followed and whether or not proper procedures have been followed. It is not something that we can dictate nor want to dictate to the Pakistani people," he said.
"Over the past two months, we have witnessed the spiral of civil unrest and harshly suppressed protests in Pakistan with increasing concern," wrote Democratic chairmen of the Senate and House Foreign Relations Committees, Joseph Biden and Tom Lantos, and senior Republican member on the House panel, Ileana Ros-Lehtine.
"The national interests of the United States and Pakistan are both served by a speedy restoration of full democracy to Pakistan and the end to state-sponsored intimidation – often violent – of Pakistani citizens protesting government actions in a legal and peaceful manner," they said.
The three warned that a "flawed election would marginalise moderate parties and voices, empowering extremist groups to exert far greater influence over Pakistani society. Rice, they said should "publicly call for an immediate end to the violence and urge … Pakistan to commit to holding free and fair elections by year's end.
Asked to comment on the letter, McCormack said "I know this is a very sensitive issue for Pakistanis; how to resolve this judicial case within the bounds of Pakistani law. I know that President Musharraf's decision within Pakistan, if you read the media accounts, has been quite controversial. Obviously, you've seen that with a number of demonstrations".
However, he suggested, "There have been advances in bringing greater freedoms, including greater freedom of the press in Pakistan over the years under President Musharraf's government. There have been some openings in that regard.
"Certainly, nobody would want to see those openings reversed. And I know that the decree was issued, and I'm not sure – at least to my knowledge – that there had been any media outlets that have been closed down as a result of the decree, certainly that would be a step that we would watch very closely," McCormack said.
"So as of right now, it's a situation, I think, that we're watching closely. But we are right there with Pakistan as they make these political and economic reforms that are ultimately going to result in a different kind of Pakistan. That's what everybody wants to see: a more politically stable, more open, a more economically prosperous Pakistan," he said.
"The steps that the Pakistani government have taken over the past several years, we believe are generally in the right direction and we want to encourage them."
"But it's also important to remember that even though a situation may be somewhat difficult and that there is some turmoil in the system, over the long term, it is important not to roll back any of the advances that have been made over recent years," McCormack said.