We encourage India- Pak dialogue: Kerry

A transcript released on Sunday said Kerry indirectly confirmed media reports that the US had been quietly encouraging the two Prime Ministers (of Pakistan and India) to hold bilateral talks. 

“We encourage that. I think it’s required to encourage both leaders to engage in the dialogue that they’ve engaged in. And needless to say, we don’t want to do things that upset the balance. But we do believe that Pakistan is engaged legitimately in a very tough fight against identifiable terrorists in their country that threaten Pakistan,” he argued. 

During two recent congressional hearings, Kerry argued that the US has been working “really hard” to advance a ‘rapprochement’ between Islamabad and New Delhi, according to Dawn. A Pakistani delegation, led by Sartaj Aziz, is in US, for a strategic dialogue that seeks to enhance Pakistan’s relations with Washington. The Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan are due to attend a nuclear summit in Washington next month.