US State Department spox says free media viral for democracies

Pakistan’s politics is an internal matter:

The United States said Thursday that journalists in Pakistan should be allowed to cover the ongoing events and do their work freely.

“I would say that we generally urge all governments to respect the role of journalists and media,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told a press briefing in Washington.

Said that Pakistani politics are matter of Pakistani people to decide, pursuant to their own constitution and laws.

Replying to a question regarding PTI chief claims that defying US policies led to his downfall, US State Department spokesperson said: “Those allegations are absolutely false. Pakistani politics are a matter for the Pakistani people to decide, pursuant to their own constitution and laws. They are not a matter for the United States Government.”

In response to a question regarding press freedom, Matthew Miller said we generally urge all governments to respect the role of journalists and media. “We believe the press performs a critical function in democratic societies,” he added.

In response to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s allegations against the United States, the department reiterated its rejection.

“I would say that we’ve spoken [about] this in the past. Those allegations are absolutely false,” the State Department spokesperson noted.

“Pakistani politics are a matter for the Pakistani people to decide, pursuant to their own constitution and laws.”

“They are not a matter for the United States Government,” he added.

In March 2022, Khan claimed that the US was plotting to oust him and continued with the tirade even after being voted out of office.

But the tirade ended when he later blamed former army chief General (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa for his removal from office.