US State Dept's comment on situation in Pakistan

Washington May 17: The Bush Administration has expressed relief at the end of violence in Karachi, saying the issues that are there in Pakistan should be resolved peacefully and in accordance with that country's constitution.

"We'are pleased to see that the violence that had occurred in Karachi has stopped. The issues that are there in the Pakistan political system are ones that need to be resolved peacefully and through their own legal and constitutional procedures," State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey said yesterday.

He said, "There is going to be an important election coming up in Pakistan. It is, as Richard Boucher (Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs) likes to say, in everyone's interest to see that Pakistan develops as a moderate Islamic country that continues to be a good ally with the United States in the war on terror and continues to help support its neighbor in Afghanistan deal with the ongoing threat posed by the Taliban and other violent extremists there. " "But again, I don't think our assessment has fundamentally changed about him or his role in Pakistani society." He added.

UNI