US recognizes and welcomes new Pakistan government led by Imran Khan

The US State Department has said that it recognises and welcomes the new Pakistani prime minister, dispelling the impression that Washington was not happy with Imran Khan’s election.
In an earlier statement, a senior US official had hoped that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government would work with the US for translating tough issues into mutual achievements.

“We recognise and welcome the newly elected Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on taking the oath of office,” Nauert said.
Usually, the State Department prefers to comment on such issues on a working day but Nauert released this statement on Saturday, hours after Khan took the oath of his office.
“For over 70 years, the relationship between the United States and Pakistan has been a vital one,” she said. “The United States looks forward to working with Pakistan’s new civilian government to promote peace and prosperity in Pakistan and the region.”
In her speech at the Pakistan Embassy earlier this week, Wells not only welcomed Imran Khan’s election but also expressed the desire to work with his government for resolving difficult issues.
Wells noted that the new leader had also recognised the importance of US-Pakistan relationship in his public statements and in his first meeting with US Embassy officials in Islamabad.
“The issues are tough, no doubt, but together, I know we can translate these shared interests into further action that achieves our mutual objectives,” she said.
She also said that now was the time to peacefully end the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan and encouraged the new Pakistani government to play a leading role in this process.
“A negotiated political settlement to the 17-year-long conflict in Afghanistan is a critical shared goal, and an area where we all would hope to see progress in the coming months,” she said. “In order to further these shared objectives, the United States relies on its relationships with the government, businesses, and people of Pakistan.”
“In a similar message on Tuesday, Secretary Pompeo also stressed this point and expressed the desire to work with Pakistan to “advance (the) shared goals of security, stability, and prosperity in South Asia.”
On July 27, the State Department had expressed “concerns about flaws in the pre-voting electoral process”, noting that “these included constraints placed on freedoms of expression and association” during the campaign period. The department pointed out that such practices were “at odds with Pakistani authorities’ stated goal of a fully fair and transparent election.”
Relations between Pakistan and the US nosedived in January when President Donald Trump accused Islamabad of providing “safe haven” to the terrorists who kill American soldiers in Afghanistan while taking billions of dollars in aid from Washington.