Infiltration of Pak-based Terrorists into India Obstacle to Dialogue: US

A US official has said that infiltration of Lashar and other Pakistan-based terrorists into Indian side is one of the most important obstacles to the Indo-Pak relationship and the dialogue between the two neighbours, said media reports.

“One of the most important obstacles to expansion of those relations is the continuing infiltration from Pakistan to by Punjab-based groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM),” Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake was quoted as saying.

“The United States has consistently called for greater action on the part of Pakistan to stop the activities of these groups,” he was quoted as saying.

The State Department refuted reports of American and Indian media that the US is mounting pressure either on India or Pakistan to carry on with the dialogue process, reports said.

“We always have an interest in seeing our two friends have peaceful relations, but we are not pressurising either side,” Blake was quoted as saying.

He said that America consistently repeated that it’s upto India and Pakistan to decide how to better their relations and the pace and the scope and the character of whatever talks they have is really up to those two countries to decide, said reports.

“But we will always stand ready to help in any way that we can, because again, we see it very much in our interest to see improved ties between these two friends of ours,” Blake was quoted as saying.

He said that Pakistan, along with Afghanistan, would be one of the major issues of discussions during the next week’s strategic dialogue between India and US, to be co-chaired by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, reports said.

Blake said that during the meeting, his country would welcome the announcement by India and Pakistan of foreign minister level meeting in mid-July, said reports.

(Based on internet reports)