Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The Bush administration has said that it hopes Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf will fulfil his “commitments” with respect to the upcoming elections in the country, while maintaining that the General has led the country on the pathway of “increased democracy”.
“He (Musharraf) has made certain commitments with respect to the presidential elections that are going to be coming up at the end of the year, but certainly we would hope that he abides by those commitments,” US State Department spokesman Sean McComack said yesterday.
While hailing the accomplishments of General Musharraf, including the steps he has taken to reduce tensions with India, McCormack admitted that “more” work needs to be done. The spokesman said Musharraf has led Pakistan “on a pathway of increased democracy, economic-political reform…those areas in Pakistan where perhaps they had been lacking in the past in terms of human rights, freedom of expression and in other areas.”
“He’s accomplished a lot, but there’s a lot more left to do. And in that task, certainly we stand with President Musharraf and we encourage him in his efforts,” he said. “It has over the years been a source of instability, if you look going down from Afghanistan to Pakistan and the tensions between Pakistan and India back in 2001. Those tensions were evident when they teetered on the brink of open conflict,” he added. So a stable, prosperous, secure Pakistan is in the interest of not only the country’s future but also of the United States and other countries in the region, McCormack said.
