US urges Pakistani authorities to respect democratic principles

WASHINGTON: US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller has said that the US urged the Pakistani authorities to respect democratic principles and the rule of law.

Responding to a question about the trial of civilians in military courts in Pakistan, the State Department spokesperson said, “We are aware of reports that civilians have been tried in military courts on charges of participating in the May 9 protests.” Trials will be conducted.

Matthew Miller said, “As in the past, we continue to urge the Pakistani authorities to respect the democratic principles and rule of law enshrined in the Pakistani constitution.” He added, “We regularly engage with Pakistani officials at the highest level to emphasize human rights, democracy, security, the safety of journalists, and the rule of law as a top priority for the United States.”

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In response to a question asked about the import of Russian oil in Pakistan and the payment being made in Chinese currency, Matthew Miller said, “We have clearly said that each country has to choose the energy import according to its needs and circumstances. But since you asked about something specific, we believe that Russian oil is being sold at a much lower price than the market.”

“This is a sign that the cap that the US, along with its allies and partners, set on the price of Russian oil has greatly reduced the price of Russian oil in the market, and we estimate that it will cost the Russian government $100 billion in revenue. It has been deprived of what would have been used in the war in Ukraine,” he further added.

Masood Khan, Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, has said that the import of Russian oil into Pakistan was done with US approval.

However, he said that we talk with our allies and partners about reducing the impact of Russian oil sales and the US has not imposed any sanctions on Russian energy exports to other countries.

He was asked whether Pakistan had consulted America before importing oil from Russia, to which.  he said that we discuss these questions around the world but we believe that these are the decisions that each country has to make on its own.