'Won't Agree': US On Being Asked About Its 'Strong Support' To Indian Oppn But Not On Pakistan's Political Prisoners

US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller said that the US in maintained its position to see everyone in Pakistan being treated consistent with the rule of law.

The US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Wednesday that the US wants to see everyone in Pakistan treated consistent with the rule of law. Miller made the statement during the State Department briefing where he was asked about Washington's "strong support" on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest and freezing of bank accounts of the Congress, but not on political prisoners in Pakistan. 

"I would not agree with that characterisation...," Miller said in response to the question during the State Department briefing. 

"We have made it clear on a number of occasions that we want to see everyone in Pakistan treated consistent with the rule of law, treated with respect for human rights, as is our position with respect to any country in the world," he added. 

As per media reports, an official from the US State Department had said that Washington "encouraged a fair, transparent and timely legal process for Chief Minister Kejriwal” following the Delhi CM's arrest in the liquor policy case after which India summoned a senior US diplomat to lodge a protest over the remark. 

Last week, when asked about India summoning the US diplomat over Kejriwal's arrest and freezing of Congress's bank accounts, Miller said that they were following these actions closely. 

"We continue to follow these actions closely, including the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal," he said, adding "We are also aware of the Congress party's allegations that tax authorities have frozen some of their bank accounts in a manner that will make it challenging to effectively campaign in the upcoming elections."

"And we encourage fair, transparent and timely legal processes for each of these issues," he reiterated. 

The Enforcement Directorate arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on March 21 in a money laundering case linked to the alleged irregularities in the implementation of the now-scrapped excise policy in Delhi while the Congress party has alleged that their bank accounts have been frozen by the Income Tax department ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.