The United States wants to see regional stability in South Asia, but any dialogue between India and Pakistan was something for the two countries to decide, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price has said.
“We’ve long called for regional stability in South Asia. That’s certainly what we want to see. We want to see it advanced,” Price told reporters at his daily press briefing on Monday. “When it comes to our partnership – our partnerships with India and Pakistan,” he added, “these are relationships that stand on their own. We do not see these relationships as zero-sum. They stand on their own.” The spokesperson was responding to a question by a private Pakistani television correspondent about his reaction to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s recent statement urging his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to hold serious and sincere talks to resolve the burning issues between the two countries, including Kashmir. “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 — India and Pakistan,” Price asserted.
Asked by a private Pakistani TV channel correspondent if the US would open door for talks with PTI chief Imran Khan if his party returns to power, the spokesperson said the US was open and would work with any elected government in Pakistan. “Pakistan is a partner of ours; we share a number of interests. We have demonstrated our desire to see constructive relations with Pakistan over the course of successive governments.
As we have said in different contexts, we judge governments by the policies they pursue. It would ultimately be a question of the type of policy that any future government of Pakistan might pursue,” he added.
The United States has said it has been an explicit proponent of regional stability in South Asia while insisting that a dialogue between the two important regional players – Pakistan and India – was a matter between the two countries.
