US secretary John Kerry and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker arrived in New Delhi on Monday night for the annual US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue after a one-day stop in Bangladesh where he discussed increased militant attacks. They have already begun the two day long talk with the government regarding business ties and to encourage India to start a dialogue with Pakistan over the tensions between the two neighbour countries, especially the Kashmir issue.
The situation in Jammu and Kashmir and concerns over Afghanistan will be raised in talks on Tuesday with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and on Wednesday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a senior US official said.
Dozens of people have been killed in violent protests in Kashmir since July 8, when security forces killed a militant commander Burhan Wani. Modi has said India would not bow to terrorism and accused Pakistan of glorifying it in his annual Independence Day speech on August 15, in which he also raised the rhetorical stakes by highlighting concerns about human rights in restive regions of Pakistan.
New Delhi has rejected Pakistan’s invitation to hold talks on the future of Jammu and Kashmir, saying it is an integral part of the nation. It also says any talks should address cross-border terrorism in Kashmir – something Pakistan denies any role in. A senior State Department official said Kerry will encourage dialogue between Pakistan and India during the discussions.
“We have a long-standing policy of encouraging and advocating for great dialogue between the two countries on addressing areas of difference and that continues to be our position,” a senior State Department official said. “But we have also underscored that combating terrorism is a high priority for the United States in its bilateral relations with all of the countries in the region,” the official added.
The situation in Afghanistan will also be discussed, the official said, amid closer ties between India and Afghanistan, which is likely to aggravate fears in Pakistan of being wedged between two hostile neighbours. India has provided a little over $2 billion in economic assistance to Afghanistan in the last 15 years and said recently it will deliver more arms to Afghanistan.
Sourced from Indian Express, Featured image courtesy: www.bloomberg.com
