NEW DELHI/NEW YORK, Apr 4:
India today swiftly rejected any US role in resolving Indo-Pak issues, hours after American Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley suggested that the Trump administration may “find its place” in efforts to de- escalate Indo-Pak tension.
In a veiled snub, the External Affairs Ministry spokesperson in New Delhi said, the “Government’s position for bilateral redressal of all India-Pakistan issues in an environment free of terror and violence hasn’t changed.
“We, of course, expect the 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.”
The spokesperson’s comments came in response to a query on Haley’s remarks at a press conference in New York that “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”.
Haley’s remarks signalled an apparent change in the US stance of not engaging in Indo-Pak disputes.
A senior Indian-American member of the Trump Cabinet, Haley said she expects that the administration is going to be in talks and try and “find its place to be a part of that (de-escalating tension)…We don’t think, we should wait till something happens”.
She 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. (PTI)
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