WASHINGTON – The United States has stressed that Pakistan and India to have a significant dialogue on Kashmir and resolve the decade-old issue, where continuing violence this year further strained relations between the two neighbours.
“The issue of Kashmir has come up on a regular basis in our discussions with Pakistan and with India, and our answer to officials of both countries is generally the same, that ultimately, it’s Pakistan and India that to have a significant dialogue and resolve the issue of Kashmir. There’s no mystery here,” State Department spokesman Philip J Crowley said.
He also noted that there has been no policy change in Washington on the dispute, which several experts around the world say remains at the root of South Asian tensions. The Indian-held Kashmir witnessed bloodshed and violence this summer as the Indian forces repeatedly used force to quell young Kashmiri protestors, who want to realize their UN-recognized right to self-determination.
The Obama administration officials have termed the Kashmir issue as critically important and during his visit to New Delhi in November, President Barack Obama encouraged India to reduce its tensions with Pakistan.
According to a US cable from New Delhi, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said India routinely tortured detainees in Kashmir while other widespread human rights violations were well-documented by several international organizations.
Kashmiri leaders and scholars say a decade-long uprising for freedom from Indian in 1990s claimed lives of at least 80,000 people in the heavily militarized Indian-held region.
