US State Dept official denies change in US’s Kashmir policy, urges Pakistan and India to hold dialogue on Kashmir issue
The United States has cautioned against making any assumptions linking Pakistan to the latest violence in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) while also brushing aside the notion that last week’s meeting between Army Chief General Raheel Sharif and US Secretary of State John Kerry was somehow connected to the flare-up in Uri area.
A US State Department spokesperson, while expressing concern over violence in the disputed Himalayan region divided between the two countries, also urged India and Pakistan to hold dialogue on the Kashmir issue.
“I think that you’re conflating a couple of things. Obviously, we know the US secretary of state and the Pak Army chief had a very productive discussion on Sunday on a range of security-related issues, and again, we’re concerned about any violence in Kashmir, and I wouldn’t jump to conclusions here,” US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf told an Indian journalist in response to his questions at a daily briefing.
The premise of the question sought to put the blame on Pakistan for Friday’s incident and the questioner also wanted to know the US position if there was a link between the meeting and the fighting involving militants and Indian soldiers in Uri in IHK.
“No, I was saying – I actually was trying not to accept the premise of the question,” the spokesperson emphasised, when asked if she accepted the premise in the question about who might have been behind the violence.
Asked if the US does not know whether there was any Pakistani involvement, the spokesperson said, “I wouldn’t assume anything.”
According to media reports, 11 Indian soldiers and six militants were killed when fighting broke out in Uri, rocking the region ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Indian-occupied Kashmir region.
Reiterating Washington’s position on addressing the Kashmir dispute, the spokesperson said, “So obviously we’re concerned about any violence in Kashmir. Our policy on Kashmir hasn’t changed. We still believe that the pace and the scope and character of India and Pakistan’s dialogue on Kashmir is for the two countries to determine, of course.”
American embassies in Islamabad and New Delhi “have raised these types of incidents with their respective host governments and certainly encouraged both to continue working together on the issue”, she added.
Later, a senior US State Department official said US strongly condemns Friday’s terrorist attacks in Kashmir.
“The US remains firmly committed to working in close partnership with India to defeat terrorism in all its forms. Our hearts go out to the families of those affected by this deplorable attack,” said a statement.
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