Photo by UK Department for International Development/Wikimedia Commons
The United States sees Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s ouster after the Supreme Court disqualification of him from holding the elected office as Pakistan’s “internal matter.”
A State Department spokesperson says Washington looks forward to smooth transition with the Parliament’s election of the next prime minister.
“This is an internal matter. We look forward to a smooth transition as Pakistan’s parliament selects the next prime minister,” a State Department spokesperson, when asked to comment on the big political development in the country.
The Supreme Court decision came after a special team’s investigation into offshore wealth of Nawaz Sharif and his family in case known as the Panamagate scandal. Pakistan Tehreek e Insaaf chairman Imran Khan, who was pursuing the case, hailed it as a landmark in the country’s fight against corruption.
The court says Nawaz Sharif was being dishonest in declaring his assets at the time of filing his nomination papers for election to the parliament.
Washington has a high-stakes relationship with Pakistan, and sees it vital to restoration of peace and security in Afghanistan, where American forces are helping the Afghan government to battle a fierce Taliban insurgency.
Meanwhile, analysts and experts have expressed mixed views about possible implications of the development.
