Obama congratulates Sharif on election victory

US President Barack Obama has congratulated PML-N chief and Prime Minister-elect Nawaz Sharif and welcomed the historic, peaceful and transparent transfer of civilian power in Pakistan."Today, the President spoke by phone with Nawaz Sharif, president of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) to congratulate him on his party's success in the May 11 parliamentary election," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said.

Carney said Obama commended the people of Pakistan on the successful completion of their parliamentary elections."The US stands with all Pakistanis in welcoming this historic, peaceful and transparent transfer of civilian power, which is a significant milestone in Pakistan's democratic progress," he said yesterday."It really is important to note the significance of consecutive democratic elections and the transfer of civilian power from one government to the next," Carney said, giving readout of the telephone call between the two leaders.

He said, "The US and Pakistan have a long history of working together on mutual interests, and this administration looks forward to continuing our cooperation with the Pakistani government that emerges from this election as equal partners in supporting a more stable, secure and prosperous future for the people of Pakistan.""The two leaders agreed to continue to work together to strengthen US-Pakistan relations and advance our shared interest of a stable, secure, and prosperous Pakistan and region," he added.

Sharif had earlier said that he would extend "full support" to Washington as US and NATO troops withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

Sharif's PML-N has emerged as the single largest party in the May 11 elections winning 123 of the 272 Parliamentary seats but fell short of a majority and would form a government with support of independents and smaller parties.