At a time when Pakistan is out to fish in troubled waters following the violence in Kashmir Valley over the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, the United States has taken the stand that it is a matter for India to address.
Asked to comment on the reports of clashes between protesters and Indian forces in Kashmir, State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters: “Obviously, we’re concerned about the violence. We encourage all sides to make efforts towards finding a peaceful resolution.”
In the same breath, the spokesman noted, “This is really a matter for the Government of India to speak to specifically, and I’d refer you to them for more comment.”
The US comment came even as Pakistan put out a statement that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has expressed his “deep shock at the killing of Kashmiri leader Burhan Wani and many other civilians by the Indian military and paramilitary forces”.
Kirby, responding to another question, said the Afghanistan-Pakistan region continues to be a safe haven for many terrorist groups.
While the governments in both countries have tried in the past to address this threat, the efforts have not always gone smoothly, the spokesman commented and urged the two governments to work together to eliminate the safe haven that so many groups there still enjoy.
At a separate hearing on Capitol Hill, former US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad slammed Pakistan for its continuing use of extremist and terrorist proxies, thus playing the role of “a significant contributor to the global menace of Islamic terrorism”.
Even while portraying itself as a US partner, Pakistan continues to support the Taliban and the Haqqani network, Khalilzad said, noting that since 2005, the two dangerous outfits have regrouped in Pakistan and waged a devastating insurgency against US and Afghan forces.
Khalilzad, who had served as US envoy in Afghanistan, Iraq and the United Nations under the Bush administration, made the comments while participating at a hearing that was titled: “Pakistan: Friend or Foe in the Fight Against TerrorismIJ”
Congressman Ted Poe, who took the initiative for the hearing, bemoaned the fact that despite the mounting evidence of its collusion with global terrorism, Pakistan was among the leading recipients of US foreign assistance, receiving more than $33 billion since 2002.