WASHINGTON - The United States wants Pakistan and India to continue to have dialogue and look for ways to cooperate in combating terrorism, a State Department spokesman has said.
Responding to a question from an Indian journalist that whenever Pakistan and India try to engage in a dialogue some elements sabotage the effort, spokesman John Kirby said, "It should come as a shock to no one that terrorist groups will try to undermine those sorts of efforts by conducting spectacular attacks – to do exactly that, to sow fear, and to hopefully sow doubt in the minds of national leaders towards a level of cooperation that can have a real – a practical effect.
“Obviously, we don’t want to see that happen and we are encouraged by the dialogue that has recently taken place between India and Pakistan, and we’d like to see that continue,” Kirby added, referring to the attack on the Indian air force base in Pathankot on January 2.
The spokesman said the US wants India and Pakistan to “continue to have a dialogue and to continue to look for ways to cooperate against a common threat. We talked about this not long ago at a recent conversation between both Prime Ministers (Muhammad Nawaz) Sharif and (Narendra) Modi.”
“That was a welcome sign, both condemning the terrorist attack on the air station and expressing 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,” he said.
His remarks came as India and Pakistan agreed mutually to defer the foreign secretary-level talks that were to take place in Islamabad this week. They have agreed to hold the parleys in the “very near future”.
Replying to another question from the same journalist, Kirby said the bilateral relationship between India and the United States is excellent. “There is still much to be done. This is an important relationship that we want to continue to improve. We have excellent relations with the Government of India. We want to make them even better,” he said.
"We know how important this relationship is, and I can assure you and the Indian people that the United States remains committed to it," he said.