The United States said Saturday that the Pakistani authorities
will have to decide when to hold parliamentary elections in the
wake of the assassination of former prime minister Benazir
Bhutto.
"The elections should be free and fair and parties and
candidates should be able to conduct an election in an open way,"
White House spokesman Tony Fratto said.
"But as for the timing, this will be something that the
Pakistani authorities will have to determine," Fratto said.
Pakistan is due to hold parliamentary elections in January.
Fratto also urged the Pakistani authorities to fully investigate
Bhutto's death and said the United States will consider assistance
to help investigate if it receives request from the Pakistani
side.
Bhutto was killed Thursday evening in a suicide attack during
her election rally at the Liaquat Bagh park in Rawalpindi, some 30
km south from Islamabad.
Pakistan, under the leadership of President Pervez Musharraf,
has been a close ally of the United States on the war against
terrorism.
(Xinhua News Agency December 30, 2007)
