WASHINGTON (APP) – The United States urged on Friday, Pakistan and India to continue efforts for peace, stating that the attack on India’s air base in Pathankot was an attempt to undermine talks between the two neighbours.
“The United States wants Pakistan and India to continue efforts for the dialogue process, along with finding ways to cooperate against the common threat of terrorism,” US State Department spokesperson John Kirby said at a briefing.
He added that the recent conversation between Indian Prime Minister Narandera Modi and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was a welcoming sign, in which both condemned the terrorist attack on the air base and expressed their shared commitment to fighting terrorism.
“That was not an insignificant discussion that they had, nor was it an insignificant commitment that they made, and it’s exactly the kind of commitment that we want them to continue to make,” spokesperson Kirby said of the conversation.
Referring to the attack earlier this month, he said, “It should come as a shock to no one that terrorist groups will try to undermine such efforts by conducting spectacular attacks, to sow fear and doubt in the minds of national leaders working towards a level of cooperation that can have a real ‘practical effect’”.
He further asserted that the United States supported the dialogue that recently took place between Pakistan and India, saying “we would like to see that continue”.
The remarks come just days after the Indian Foreign Ministry confirmed Pakistan and India had agreed to reschedule talks between their foreign secretaries.
The foreign secretaries of both countries agreed to defer the talks which were tentatively scheduled to be held in Islamabad on January 15.
Relationships between the long-standing arch rivals once again came to the forefront following an attack on India’s air base in Pathankot.
