US Supports Direct Talks Between Pakistan and India Despite Shehbaz’s Efforts

In response to recent efforts by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to mend strained bilateral ties between the two nations, the United States maintained its long-standing stance on India-Pakistan relations on Wednesday.

We encourage direct communication between India and Pakistan on pressing matters, as we have always said. We have had that view for a long time, said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller during a news briefing.

Miller was replying to a query from a Pakistani journalist who wanted an opinion on Shehbaz Sharif’s alleged recent comments that Pakistan is prepared to speak with India about bilateral issues if India is prepared to address serious issues.

This comes after the Pakistani Prime Minister declared on Tuesday that “war is not an option” for both nations as they combat poverty and unemployment. He offered to seek discussions with India to resolve any remaining concerns.

Sharif made the comments during a gathering intended to attract international investment to the cash-strapped nation. The Pakistani prime minister reportedly made an apparent allusion to India when he stated, “We are prepared to talk with everyone, even with our neighbor, provided that the neighbor is serious to talk serious matters on the table because war is no longer an option.”

His remarks came as relations between the two neighbors remained strained on a variety of problems, including Islamabad’s ongoing backing for transnational terrorism and the Kashmir dispute.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration in New Delhi has insisted that it wants to have cordial relations with Islamabad as a neighbor. However, it has stressed that the absence of terror and antagonism is necessary for discussions to take place.

US Vice President Joe Biden and Modi have previously urged Pakistan to crack down on terrorists who cross international borders and strike New Delhi. The two leaders demanded action against Pakistan-based terrorist organizations including Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed in a joint statement.

“They strongly condemned cross-border terrorism, the use of terrorist proxies, and called on Pakistan to take immediate action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for launching terrorist attacks,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement during Modi’s state visit to the United States.