A United States official said on Wednesday that all political parties should receive equal treatment and the US will urge respect for human rights in the country.

Speaking at a routine press briefing on Wednesday, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the US does not take position on internal political matters in Pakistan.

“… internal political matters in Pakistan are something that we do not take a position on. We urge respect for democracy, respect for human rights, and treatment of all political parties equally,” Miller said.

He also said that the $101 million requested from Congress will be used to strengthen democracy and fight terrorism in Pakistan.

“We would use that for the types of programs to strengthen democracy and civil society, to counter terrorism and extremism, to support economic reforms and debt managemen,” he said.

“We have made similar budget requests and similar budget authority – received similar budget authority from Congress in the past and made – and invested, used the funds that were appropriated by Congress to invest in our partnership with Pakistan.”

He went on to add that if the funds were approved by Congress, they will be used in the same way as they were in this year and previous years.

The US administration has sought a budget of $101 million for Pakistan to “strengthen democracy, fight terrorism, and stabilise the country’s economy, US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu told a congressional panel in Washington on Tuesday.