"... We want to see people be able to freely express their views in Pakistan or any place else and would hope that they would be able to do so without any resort to violence by either other protesters or by law enforcement officials or anyone else. It's a fundamental and important right," State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey said on being asked to comment on the crackdown which injured several journalists and lawyers.

"In terms of the media freedoms in Pakistan, we also of course want to make sure that all legitimate broadcasters as well as all legitimate publications have the opportunity to help inform the Pakistani people of what's going on, particularly as we move towards what's going to be a very important election for the country," he added.