WASHINGTON: United States Secretary of State John Kerry called Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj twice – in two days – and advised to not escalate tensions with Pakistan.
The high-level contact between the two countries was the first after the Uri attack in Indian-Held Kashmir (IHK) which sparked escalated tension between India and Pakistan. Earlier today, two Pakistani soldiers were martyred in an unprovoked cross-border firing across the Line on Control (LoC) by Indian forces.
The US is keeping a close watch on the rising tensions and relations between the two countries. India has withdrawn from the SAARC summit scheduled to be held in Islamabad in November – which has fallen into jeopardy after the pull-out of other member states.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to review the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status awarded to Pakistan. MFN is a status or level of treatment accorded by one state to another in international trade and is one of the cornerstones of trade laws of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif previously met John Kerry on the side-lines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 19 – where they discussed the situation in Kashmir: ‘the atrocities and human rights violations by Indian forces’. Sharif had called on Kerry to help resolves the bilateral disputes between the two countries.
US State Department Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner on Wednesday urged both the countries to avoid issuing statements against each other and advised to resume dialogues for the entire region’s benefit.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest also said that the US continues to encourage India and Pakistan to find amicable means for resolving their differences.
