WASHINGTON – The United States Department of State has confirmed that there was no change in US policy on Kashmir, days after India scrapped its special status in a rush decree.
US State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said on Thursday that there are reports of detentions and restrictions of residents in Jammu and in Kashmir, adding that US continues to monitor this very, very closely.
The official continued that Kashmir was certainly an incredibly important issue and US has a lot of engagement with India and Pakistan.
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“I would say that we are – as a State Department, we are incredibly engaged in Southeast Asia,” she said.
When Ortagus was asked about the Afghan crisis, she said ‘Prime Minister Khan is going to be incredibly crucial in helping us with these – with this peace deal and with this peace negotiation’ that continues.
The official added that when he [Imran Khan] was here in Washington, the President and the Secretary Pompeo alluded to that as well, how important that relationship will be in helping us pursue peace in Afghanistan.
Ortagus detailed that the Afghan peace process was not a bilateral issue between the U.S. and Afghanistan as it ‘certainly affects us, but it affects our NATO allies who are there with us’.
“It affects India; it affects Pakistan; it affects Russia and China. It’s something that affects many nations in the world,” she shared.
The remarks came amid rising tension between India and Pakistan after New Delhi abolished Article 370 and 35A of the constitution which granted special status to Kashmir.
