US picks on Kashmir, Baluchistan issues

Washington: Slowly but surely, the mask is beginning to slip. With the unconvincing bonhomie of a Washington summit behind it, a Sino-Pakistan-centric Obama administration may now have begun to reveal the true contours of its India policy. A top US military official has once again brought the Kashmir issue to the fore, saying a resolution of the dispute is very critical for stability in the region. For good measure, he has also questioned Indian involvement in Baluchistan.

Addressing Washington-based foreign correspondents at the Foreign Press Centre, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said, 'In the long run, resolution of the border in the east in Kashmir is a very important outcome.

'Obviously, that is a principal concern to India and Pakistan. But there is a concern to many others in terms of stability of the region,' he said.

'I think that is a key part of what needs to happen in the future.'

Referring to reports that India may be reducing troops in Jammu & Kashmir, he said, "de-tensioning of that (Kashmir) border" was absolutely critical.

"I really do believe that "de-tensioning" that (Kashmir) border is absolutely critical to the long term stability in that region. And it is going to take outreach on the part of both countries (India and Pakistan)," Adm Mullen told newsmen in Washington.