A day after Pakistan’s leader proposed “conditional” talks with archenemy India, the United States said it supports direct talks between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said he was ready to resume bilateral dialogue with India.
Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with India in 2019 when New Delhi scrapped the special status of Indian-administered Kashmir. The status gave semi-autonomy to the disputed Himalayan region, which is also claimed by Pakistan.
Since their independence from British rule in 1947, the two countries have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir.
“We are prepared to talk with everyone, even with our neighbour, provided that the neighbour is serious to talk about serious matters on the table because war is no more an option,” Sharif said in Islamabad.
When asked to respond to Sharif’s statement, US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller on Wednesday said the US has always maintained the two countries should engage in dialogue.
