United States State Department spokesperson Ned Price has stated that the US wants stability in South Asia emphasizing that Pak-India dialogue is a personal matter for both states.
“We have long called for regional stability in South Asia, but the pace, the scope, the character of any dialogue between India and Pakistan is a matter for those two countries,” Ned Price said.
According to Price, the US has traditionally advocated for regional stability. “We want to see it. We want to see progress in it.”
The senior official also added that US relations with Pakistan and India stand on their own and are not zero-sum affairs.
In response to a different query, Price stated that the US was willing to cooperate with any elected government in Pakistan.
“Pakistan is a partner of ours, and we have several things in common. Throughout several governments, we have shown that we want to have positive relations with Pakistan.”
However, he emphasized that the US evaluates governments based on the policies they adopt.
The US official’s statement comes a week after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to hold sincere discussions to settle urgent matters, including Kashmir.
Sharif also suggested that the leadership of the United Arab Emirates could play a significant role in bringing India and Pakistan to the negotiating table.
