US hints at looking into human rights violations in Indian-held Kashmir

WASHINGTON - The United States has hints at looking into human rights violations committed by Indian forces in Indian-held Kashmir.

Responding to a question about Pakistani dossiers on Indian atrocities in Kashmir at daily news briefing, US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner said the United States would certainly look into any credible allegation of human rights violations,  without specifically naming India and Kashmir.

He further added: "We get information and seek out information from a variety of sources, and we judge that information, the credibility of those – that information in compiling the report. We certainly will look into any credible allegations of human rights abuses wherever they occur."

To another question, he suggested that Pakistan and India should adopt "a more conciliatory approach to each other and to work through some of these issues for the greater good of the region."

"United States’ position on Kashmir hasn’t changed," he went on to assert.

"It’s frankly to the benefit of both countries. That includes, certainly, security issues. We want to see tensions go down, and we want to see, as I said, a greater cooperation between the two countries," he said, while calling on Islamabad and New Delhi to work together for a stable Afghanistan.

When asked about America's fresh stance on Afghan Peace Process, Toner said the United States strongly encourages "an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led" dialogue with Taliban and other insurgent groups.

At one point, when a journalist asked the Spokesman to comment on Hafiz Saeed's statement about the United States, Mark Toner categorically denied to speak on this matter.

"I’m not going to respond to comments that may have been attributed to him," he said.