The State Department reiterated on Thursday that it supports direct negotiations between Pakistan and India, adding that the scope of these talks should be determined by the two neighboring countries, not the United States.
Responding to a query about recent exchanges between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “We value our important relationships with both India and Pakistan. As we have said, we support direct discussions between India and Pakistan, but the pace, scope, and character should be determined by those two countries, not by us.”
On June 10, PM Shehbaz congratulated Modi on securing a third term as the Indian Prime Minister. Modi responded with gratitude, and Shehbaz’s brother, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, also extended his felicitations, urging Modi to replace hate with hope and shape the destiny of the two billion people of South Asia. Modi replied, “The people of India have always stood for peace, security, and progressive ideas. Advancing the well-being and security of our people shall always remain our priority.”
During a press briefing, Miller highlighted the shared interest of the US and Pakistan in combating regional security threats. “We partner with Pakistan on 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 said.
When asked about Pakistani Ambassador to the US Masood Khan’s statement regarding the need for modern American weapons to combat the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Miller confirmed ongoing communication with Pakistani leaders. “We are in regular communication with the Pakistani leaders as a part of our partnership on CT issues, and we will continue to discuss regional security in detail, including through our annual counterterrorism dialogue and other bilateral consultations,” he added.