Washington: Expressing approval at the current ties between India and Pakistan, the United States has welcomed the decision to re-schedule talks between the two nations and lauded their ‘shared commitment to fighting terrorism’.
State Department Spokesman John Kirby while addressing the media at the White House said that it was a welcome sign that the Prime Ministers of both India and Pakistan had condemenet the terror attack on the Air Force Base in Pathankot.
“Well, we want – as I said before, we want them to continue to have a dialogue and to continue to look for ways to cooperate against a common threat. And we talked about this not long ago at a recent conversation between both Prime Ministers Sharif and Modi. That was a welcome sign, both condemning the terrorist attack on the air station and expressing their shared commitment to fighting terrorism,” Kirby said.
Asserting that terror groups will continue to hamper peace prospects at crucial junctures, Kirby added that it was a good sign that India and Pakistan had agreed to continue holding dialogues, despite the Pathankot attack.
“It should come as a shock to no one that terrorist groups will try to undermine those sorts of efforts by conducting spectacular attacks – to do exactly that, to sow fear, and to hopefully sow doubt in the minds of national leaders towards a level of cooperation that can have a real – a practical effect. And obviously, we don’t want to see that happen and we’re – we are encouraged by the dialogue that has recently taken place between India and Pakistan, and we’d like to see that continue,” Kirby said.
Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar had spoken to his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhary and both had agreed to reschedule the talks in the near future.
MEA official spokesperson Vikas Swarup informed the media that the Government of Pakistan is considering sending a Special Investigation Team to investigate the Pathankot terror attack.
“We look forward to the visit of the Pakistani SIT and our investigative agencies will extend all necessary cooperation to bring the perpetrators of the attack to justice,” he added while asserting that New Delhi condemns terrorism in all its form and manifestation.
Meanwhile, the US has urged Pakistan to intensify their fight against terrorist outfits especially those working along its borders.
According to reports, Under-Secretary of State for Civilian Security Sarah Sewall addressed a seminar in Delhi where she urged Pakistan to target all terrorist groups, without any exceptions. (ANI)