WASHINGTON, June 6: The United States has urged the government of Pakistan to come to terms with new freedoms emerging in its society and not to use a recent presidential decree for closing media outlets.“The Pakistani government is going to need to come to terms with new freedoms that are emerging in Pakistani society, concerning freedom of expression and the media as well,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told a briefing in Washington. He said the US administration would be watching ‘very closely’ how the new decree would be implemented.

President Gen Pervez Musharraf issued the decree earlier this week, giving the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority extra powers.

“I know that the decree was issued, and I’m not sure -- at least to my knowledge -- that there had been any media outlets that have been closed down as a result of the decree, certainly that would be a step that we would watch very closely,” said Mr McCormack.

“There have been advances in bringing greater freedoms, including greater freedom of the press in Pakistan over the years under President Musharraf’s government. There have been some openings in that regard. Certainly, nobody would want to see those openings reversed.”

The US spokesman acknowledged that the current situation was difficult but said that this was no excuse for rolling back the freedom given to the media.

“It is also important to remember that even though a situation may be somewhat difficult, and that there is some turmoil in the system, over the long term it is important not to roll back any of the advances that have been made over recent years,” he said.

Mr McCormack also noted that President Musharraf’s decision to suspend the chief justice has been “quite controversial,” which reflected not only in media accounts but also “in a number of demonstrations” against the decision.

State Department officials are generally careful while responding to questions about Pakistan and avoid criticising the Musharraf government. Most of the criticism over Islamabad’s role in the war against terror has come either from US lawmakers or senior intelligence or defence officials.

But the State Department, apparently, made an exception to this practice to convey its concerns over the government’s attempt to gag the press.

The spokesman used the briefing to warn Islamabad that curbing the media could have far-reaching implications for the Pakistani government.

“We urge our friends in Pakistan,” said Mr McCormack, to view a free media as an institution that ultimately strengthens the society, adding that the media had a responsibility to report the news accurately and objectively.

He said the United States also “absolutely” supported the growth of responsible media in Pakistan but indicated that curbing press freedom would not help achieve this goal.

The spokesman would not say if Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice intended to make a public statement on Pakistani media curbs, and the political violence related to the chief justice controversy, as urged by three key members of the US Congress.

In a letter to Ms Rice, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joe Biden, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos and the House committee’s ranking Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen had urged her on Tuesday to call for an immediate end to political violence in Pakistan, and to press the Musharraf government to commit to holding free and fair elections by the year’s end.

Mr McCormack reaffirmed the US position that the controversy over Musharraf’s suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry needs to be resolved by the Pakistanis themselves within the confines of the country’s laws and judicial process.