LAHORE: US Ambassador Richard Olson says his country does not support any specific political party in Pakistan.

“The US doesn’t support any specific political party in Pakistan. We support democracy and want to see a strong democratic system here,” Olson said during his meeting with Governor Chaudhry Sarwar here on Thursday.

US envoy’s statement comes in the wake of allegations that the parties staging Islamabad sit-ins enjoyed the support of Washington which doesn’t want to see Chinese influence increasing in Pakistan through the investment the PML-N government is trying to attract.

Also read: No extra-constitutional changes in Pakistan acceptable: US

Mr Olson said his country gave great importance to its relations with Pakistan and it had a dream of a prosperous and developed Pakistan. He said both the countries enjoyed bilateral cooperation in various fields and the US intended to boost its cooperation in energy and education sectors.

The governor said negotiations was the only way to resolve all political issues and this was the way forward to strengthen political system and democratic institutions.

He said all the political parties in the parliament showed their unconditional support to the government which was a good gesture for democracy.

Mr Sarwar said Pakistan had contributed a lot to ensure regional and world peace and it would continue doing so, adding that the world had already acknowledged its role in war on terror.

The US Consulate at Lahore was also present.

Mr Olson also opened a monitoring and control system at Wapda headquarters for effective management of available electricity to reduce unscheduled loadshedding.

The facility was established through a partnership between the electricity distribution companies (Discos) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

“The United States government is proud to work in partnership with the government of Pakistan to take the necessary steps to resolve the energy crisis, which impacts so many Pakistanis,” he said.

“Consumers need to be aware of the planned loadshedding schedules to effectively plan for their business and personal needs, and the National Power Control Centre plays a vital role in helping Pakistanis navigate their day-to-day lives by supporting the distribution companies to better manage the electrical supply and accurately communicate loadshedding schedules,” he added.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2014