Our policy and position on Kashmir has not changed, says US

Stressing Pakistan and India to resolve a decades-old Kashmir issue between the neighbouring countries, Deputy Spokesperson of the United States (US) State Department, Mark C. Toner reiterated that the US policy and position on Kashmir has not changed.

“I’ve said it before. We want to see dialogue between India and Pakistan and the Kashmir on the – on how to resolve the conflict in Kashmir and our policy hasn’t changed,” said Toner while answering to a question that whether the US still support the UN resolution on Kashmir during a daily media briefing.

Unlike the US, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has shown his willingness to mediate peace talks between Pakistan and India amid tensions in Kashmir, said a UN spokesman said on Wednesday.

“Good offices is a standing offer,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at the regular briefing in reply to a question from a journalist who pointed to the clashes in India-held Kashmir and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement in which he blamed media for inflaming the situation.

Appreciating Pakistan’s resolve to eliminate all kinds of terrorism from its soil, Toner also said, “We are continuing to address some of our concerns about where Pakistan needs to move next in terms of combating terrorist threats. We welcome, as I said, General Sharif’s comments and we would just – I would simply state that it is in the US’s long-term national interests to support Pakistan’s efforts to combat terrorism, violent extremism, and build a more stable and democratic society.”