US denies role in choosing Pakistani leaders

• US doesn't play any role in choosing Pakistani leaders, Miller says.
• It only engages with leadership decided by Pakistanis: State dept.
• US has designated former members of the Afghan parliament.

WASHINGTON: The United States State Department reiterated that Washington does not play any role in choosing political leaders in Pakistan, The News reported on Tuesday.

In a press briefing on Monday, Spokesperson Matthew Miller said: "The United States does not play any role in choosing the leaders of Pakistan."

Miller's remark came in response to a question about the American government not supporting any corrupt and criminal leaders around the world.

He added that the US only engages with the leadership elected by the Pakistani people.

"We will continue to engage with the government of Pakistan on all these issues," he maintained.

The State Department's statement comes at a time when Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir is on his maiden official visit to the US since assuming office in November last year.

The army chief, during his visit, is scheduled to meet senior military and other government officials. His visit comes a day after the conclusion of a two-day stay of US Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West in Pakistan.

The US has, multiple times, spoken about not interfering in Pakistan's internal political matters nor siding with any political party over the other.

Earlier in September, Miller also clarified that neither the US takes any position on the outcome of general elections in Pakistan nor does it support any political party in the country.

“We do not support any one political party or any candidate in Pakistan. But we of course urge free and fair elections in Pakistan, as we do throughout the world,” he added.

Miller, when responding to a question about the ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan, said: "The US supports a diplomatic resolution to all of the various issues between the two countries."

"It is something that we have been engaged in and we've detailed the substance of some of those specific engagements, and we will continue to do so."

He said this in response to a question regarding the relations between the two countries going south and whether the US was concerned about this worsening situation.

He further said that the US has designated former members of the Afghan parliament and their immediate family members which renders them generally ineligible to enter into the United States.

"Because of their involvement in significant corruption, the [US ] Treasury Department has also designated these individuals under the Magnitsky sanctions program for their extensive role in trans-national corruption," the spokesperson said.

He added that the Treasury has also designated a network of 44 companies connected to the banned former Afghan parliamentarians for their role.