| The United States on Saturday congratulated Pakistan on the presidential election, while adding that it looked forward to the official announcement of the result. The short two-line statement was careful to avoid President Pervez Musharraf’s name, and did not directly express any word of satisfaction or pleasure over his runaway victory. The State Department, despite several calls by Pakistani correspondents, failed to come up with a response. Scott Stanzel, a White House spokesman said, “Pakistan is an important partner and ally to the United States and we congratulate them for today’s election. We look forward to the electoral commission’s announcement and to working with all of Pakistan’s leaders on important bilateral, regional and counter-terrorism issues.” |