Stable, Democratic Pakistan termed critical to US interests by State Dept.

WASHINGTON: A prosperous and strong, democratic Pakistan is critical to U.S. interests, a State Department spokesperson said Thursday, while reiterating that it does not have a position on one candidate or the other or one political party versus another.
“We continue to monitor the situation in Pakistan closely,” Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at his daily press briefing in response to a series of questions about the latest developments in the South Asian country.
“What our interest is a safe and secure, prosperous Pakistan. That is in the interest of the US-Pakistan relations, and we call for the respect of democratic principles and the rule of law around the world,” he said.
The United States, he said, does not have a favoured candidate or a favoured political party, not just in Pakistan but as it relates to any government system around the world. –Agencies