WASHINGTON — The United States’ second-ranking diplomat signaled Thursday that the Bush administration is distancing itself from Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf after opposition victories in last week’s elections.
Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte told senators that the United States is supporting Pakistan’s people as they choose their leaders after the parliamentary elections. But he made scant mention of Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, during his testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Negroponte testified that “Pakistan has been indispensable” to that fight and said the U.S. looks “forward to working with the leaders who emerge” from the formation of a new government. When pressed, he said, “Musharraf is still the president of his country, and we look forward to continuing to work with him.”
U.S. lawmakers and Pakistani opposition leaders have criticized the Bush administration for its steadfast support of the former army general despite his crackdown on the opposition, judiciary and media.
Republican Sen. Dick Lugar of Indiana said the United States should make it clear to Pakistan’s people that U.S. interests “lay not in supporting a particular leader or party, but in democracy, pluralism, stability and the fight against violence.”
