US says Pak Prez poll election is an 'internal matter'

Washington, Aug 27 : Pakistanis have to decide on their own who to elect as their next President, and it was purely an internal matter for Pakistan, a US State Department official said here last evening.

"With regards to Pakistan presidency, that is really very much an internal Pakistani matter. The Pakistanis will have to determine who their next president will be," the Daily Times quoted State Department deputy spokesman Robert Wood as saying.

Reaffirming Washington's commitment to work with the new government in Islamabad in the fight against extremism, Wood said: "The relationship between the United States and Pakistan is very important. We are engaged in very serious efforts to battle extremism in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, and we look forward to continuing our co-operation with the current government in battling extremism."

To a question if US Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad muddled Washington's message to Pakistan by holding secret talks to PPP Co-chairman and presidential hopeful Asif A,li Zardaru, he said , "No, our message to Pakistan is very clear that they are an important ally. We need to work together on a wide range of issues."

ANI