The US State Department stated on Thursday that Washington endorses direct negotiations between India and Pakistan but will not dictate the terms of those discussions.
During the regular news briefing in Washington, spokesperson Matthew Miller highlighted a robust counterterrorism partnership with Pakistan, emphasizing that both countries are dedicated to maintaining this relationship.
“We value our important relationships with both India and Pakistan. As we have said, we support direct discussions between India and Pakistan,” said Mr. Miller in response to a question about recent interactions between Indian and Pakistani leaders.
“But the pace, scope, and character should be determined by them and not us,” he added.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif initiated the move by sending a congratulatory message to his Indian counterpart on a third consecutive election victory, expressing a desire to improve the strained ties between the two neighboring countries.
The US official also addressed a recent statement by Pakistan’s US Ambassador Masood Khan, who noted that TTP terrorists were using American weapons against Pakistan, acquired in Afghanistan. He urged Washington to provide weapons to Pakistan to effectively combat these terrorists.
“The United States and Pakistan have a shared interest in combating threats to regional security,” said Mr. Miller when asked about the ambassador’s statement.
“We partner with Pakistan in security through our high-level counterterrorism dialogue, including several counterterrorism capacity-building programs, and we support a series of US-Pakistan military-to-military engagements,” he added.
The United States, he said, also maintains regular communication with Pakistani leaders as part of a bilateral partnership on counterterrorism issues.
“And we will continue to discuss regional security in detail, including through our annual counterterrorism dialogue and other bilateral consultations,” he concluded
