WASHINGTON - The United States Friday voiced grave concern about the worsening situation in India-occupied Kashmir, but failed to condemn the high-handed tactics employed by India to quell peaceful demonstrations calling for an end to New Delhis rule. We obviously have great concern about the situation in Kashmir, US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said in first comments on the nearly four-month-old Indian clamp down on the protestors. More than 100 people, mostly young people, have been gunned down by Indian security forces since July in attempts to quell the rebellion. In doing so, Indian authorities have imposed strict curfews backed by shoot on sight orders. We talk both to our Pakistani friends and our Indian friends on this issue on a regular basis. We would like to see the situation in Kashmir resolved, he said in response to a question. Theres obviously too much tension and violence in Kashmir, which is why we continue to encourage both countries, you know, to resolve it through dialogue, he told reporters within hours after Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi asked US President Barack Obama to take up the issue with India during his next month visit there. The spokesman added: The United States policy is clear: We believe that this is ultimately an issue that has to be resolved between India and Pakistan. Before his election, Obama talked about US mediation in Kashmir so that Pakistan could focus on fighting the militants in the tribal areas. He also toyed with India of appointing former President Bill Clinton as special envoy to help resolve the dispute. His comments triggered a sharp reaction in India. Qureshi, speaking Friday next to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, at the concluding session of US-Pakistan strategic referred to those remarks by Obama and urged him to take up the Kashmir dispute when he visits New Delhi. His coming visit to the region is the time to begin to redeem the pledge that he made earlier, he said. The foreign minister said that a resolution on Kashmir was vital for a peaceful and stable South Asia. The Kashmiri mothers are baffled at the deafening silence of the world leadership, Qureshi said.