Washington rules out mediation over the dispute. PHOTO: FILE
The United States has ruled out any mediation on the Kashmir dispute, saying the issue needs to be discussed directly between India and Pakistan.
The US believes India and Pakistan ‘need to keep building a better relationship’ and ‘work together’ on issues like Kashmir, said US State Department spokesperson Marie Harf.
“We’ve been very clear that this is an issue we think needs to be discussed directly between Pakistan and India,” she said at a news briefing on Saturday.
The State Department also urged Islamabad and New Delhi to keep working for improvement in their bilateral relations.
“Well, we’ve always said that we believe they [Pakistan and India] need to keep building a better relationship, they need to work together on these issues, and certainly we hope they will do so,” Harf said when asked to assess the current state of Pakistan-India relations in the US perspective.
When asked about Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s supposed remarks that the Kashmir dispute could trigger a fourth war between India and Pakistan, the spokesperson replied: “I didn’t actually see those comments, so I don’t want to respond to comments I haven’t seen.”
Published in The Express Tribune, December 8th, 2013.
COMMENTS (18)
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kashmir is lifeline of pakistan.One day kashmir will join the ranks of Pakistan.You do not accept UN security council's resolution.saying that Simla agreement has superceded it but at the same time keeping UNMOGIP in Srinager.You are providing them with all boarding and logding facilities,petrol,and all admin facilities.Then what are they doing in Indian kashmir?Boot them out.You cant do that.majority of people option will prevail and not a single individual's ruling(Maharaja Hari singh) :
@Sidster, Try referendum today in Balochistan and FATA and you would get scary results. Your army dares not enter several areas in these two provinces.
@Sidster:
When, exactly, were they given a chance to be part of Pakistan?
@Major Iqbal: Balochistan and Pukthun have already made a choice to be in Pakistan. Kashmir was never given a chance to vote.
@Lala Gee: The following was said by IK while and his Co, are in India:
"Imran Khan claimed both the countries had almost finalised the details of a deal on Kashmir that could have possibly put an end to the problem in 2008 but the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai derailed the talks".
Care to name who carried out these attacks?
@Lala Gee:
Classic anti American blather - long on emotion with no substance. I suppose your going to blame the USA for enmity between Sunni and Shia as well.
When Nawaz Sharif was recently on his way to US, he had called up a press conference during his halt in London, where he had asked US to mediate in the Kashmir dispute. On the very same day, India had warned US of interfering in the Kashmir matter. On the next day itself (and while Nawaz Sharif was still inside a plane on his way to US), there was an official response from US stating that US will be keeping itself away and that both countries need to sort out this issue bilaterally. It has simply said the same line again. Pakistan is nomore a country of importance for US. It is looked at only as a slave nation running on US money, whereas on the other hand, US is seeking to strengthen its ties with India increasingly over the last few years - even awarding India some of the same equipments & fighters which the US army uses for itself (and this privilege is being awarded only to India, no other country in the world). So, in short, Nawaz Sharif can forget his dream of stealing Kashmir from India in any way possible. He is fighting a losing battle - a battle which has already destroyed his country but still he won't back off as even if Pakistan suffers, "Kashmir" makes sure revenue in Nawaz Sharif's personal bank accounts keep increasing, at the expense of the country he rules.
Kashmir is and will remain India's BLEEDING part. It needs to be with Pakistan. Plain and simple!
america creat problem dont solved.....
Pakistanis say that the Kashmiris should be given the right to self determination.
The Indians should agree to this principle but with one caveat: that Pakistan should give the Pashtuns and Baluch the right to self determination.
Tit for tat. As simple as that.
with Modi coming article 370 will b scrapped
@Lala Gee: They would do their best to derail any such efforts using their stooges in both the countries
The stooges you are referring are your army men whose body you didnt even claim and only after 10 years,your govt admitted that they were indeed ur soldiers.....
God bless America.
For US, control of the region lies in the eternity of the Kashmir dispute and the enmity between India and Pakistan. Any probability of the solution of Kashmir dispute, or even efforts made towards this end in order to bring peace and harmony between the two neighbors is a nightmare for their policy makers. They would do their best to derail any such efforts using their stooges in both the countries. This was successfully done in the past several times. Recall the Vajpai's travel to Lahore for normalizing, relations and subsequent derailment of the peace process after Kargil incident. They're not that fool to let their only leverage go away by helping in dispute resolution.
@goggi (Lahore):
Is the Lahore part of your moniker, name of some section in the RAW establishment?
Kashmir is an integral part of India. We will also get rid of Article 370 of Indian constitution in 2014.