When State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller was asked about the right of Pakistani people to choose their own government, he went on to make a curious clip of tongue. Asked by journalist Ryan Grim if election rigging in Pakistan could lead to sanctions during a press briefing, Miller said that the US would continue to support democratic \u2018suppression\u2019 in Pakistan. \u201cAnd we will continue to support democratic supression and a vibrant democracy in Pakistan, but I don\u2019t have anything to preview from here,\u201d Miller can be heard saying in a video of the exchange. However, when the journalist tried to ask a follow up question, Miller quickly corrected himself and said, \u201cI said expression.\u201d \u201cExpression. Expression. I\u2019m not going to let you trick me into correcting myself unnecessarily again. Expression,\u201d Miller said. The original exchange was edited to say \u2018expression\u2019 in the official transcript uploaded on the State Department\u2019s website as well. Earlier in the press briefing, Miller said it was up to the Pakistani people to decide who they wanted to elect to office. \u201cWe want to see free and fair elections which are conducted in accordance with Pakistan\u2019s laws, and we don\u2019t support one candidate or party over another in Pakistan or anywhere else in the world,\u201d he said. When asked about the arrests of candidates and approvers, Miller replied that elections in Pakistan have to be conducted as per Pakistan\u2019s laws. \u201cIt\u2019s not for the United States to dictate to Pakistan how it conducts \u2013 the exact specifics of how it conducts its election,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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