India rejects possibility of US role in disputes with Pak
05 Apr 2017
India on Tuesday predictably rejected any possible US mediation in its disputes with Pakistan, saying the "government's position for bilateral redressal of all India-Pakistan issues in an environment free of terror and violence hasn't changed".
The reaction from the external affairs ministry came after US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said that US would "try and find its place in efforts to de-escalate India-Pak tensions and not wait till something happens".
"It's absolutely right that this administration is concerned about the relationship between India and Pakistan and very much wants to see how we de-escalate any sort of conflict going forward," Nikki Haley said, signalling an apparent change in the US stance of not engaging in India-Pakistan disputes.
"We of course expect international community and organisations to enforce international mechanisms and mandates concerning terrorism emanating from Pakistan, which continues to be the single biggest threat to peace and stability in our region and beyond," an external affairs ministry spokesperson said.
Haley made the remarks when asked if the US can make any effort to get India and Pakistan together for peace talks as tension between the two South Asian neighbours over Kashmir has risen.
"We very much think that we should be proactive in the way that we are seeing tensions rise and conflicts start to bubble up and so we want to see if we can be a part of that," Haley said.
"So I think that will be something that you will see members of the National Security Council participate in but also wouldn't be surprised if the president participates in that as well," she added. (See: Trump may seek role in Indo-Pak disputes: Nikki Haley).
