New Delhi:
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that India and Pakistan should de-escalate the tensions between them. "I think reasonably attractive news from Pakistan and India, they have been going at it and we have been involved and have them stop, we have some reasonably decent news, hopefully, it’s going to be coming to an end, going on for a long time, decades and decades,” he said. Earlier, the United States reiterated its support for India’s action against Jaish-e-Mohammed that saw the Indian Air Force fighter planes destroying Balakot terror camp in pre-dawn attack. According to news agency ANI, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had a telephonic conversation with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Thursday. In the late-night call, Pompeo said that the US supported India’s decision to take action against Jaish terror camp on Pakistani soil.
On Wednesday, Pompeo had spoken to Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj. Pompeo “emphasized” on close security partnership between India and the US. He “shared goal of maintaining peace and security in the region.” He has also spoken to Pakistani Foreign Minister Qureshi to underscore the priority of de-escalating current tensions by avoiding military action, and the urgency of Pakistan taking meaningful action against terrorist groups operating on its soil. Pompeo said that the US will encourage India and Pakistan to exercise restraint, and avoid escalation at any cost. He also encouraged both Ministers to prioritise direct communication and avoid further military activity.
The US has asked Pakistan to abide by its UN Security Council commitments to deny terrorists safe haven and block their access to funds. This US statement came after India on Wednesday handed over to Pakistan a dossier on specific details of involvement of the Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) in the Pulwama terror attack on Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) as also the presence of camps of the UN-proscribed terror outfit in that country.
Cross-border terrorism, such as the recent attack on India's CRPF on February 14, poses a grave threat to the security of the region. We reiterate our call for Pakistan to abide by its United Nations Security Council commitments to deny terrorists safe haven and block their access to funds, a State Department spokesperson said.
The Ministry of External Affairs handed over the dossier Pakistan's Acting High Commissioner on Wednesday.
