US wants India and Pakistan to have 'productive & peaceful relationship'

Washington: The US has said it wants India and Pakistan to have a "productive and peaceful relationship" but made it clear that the pace, scope, and character of any dialogue was a matter for the two neighbours to determine.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said this on Wednesday while responding to a question on Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulating the newly-elected Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on taking the oath of office for his second term.

“We, of course, welcome the prime minister's statement. The United States values its relationship with both India and Pakistan, and we want to see them have a productive and peaceful relationship,” Miller said.

“We would welcome productive and peaceful talks between India and Pakistan, but the pace, scope, and character of any dialogue is a matter for India and Pakistan to determine,” he said in response to another question.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi congratulated Sharif on taking oath as the prime minister of Pakistan. Sharif took the oath on Monday, assuming the cash-strapped country's reins for a second time, nearly a month after an inconclusive election marred by allegations of vote rigging.

As Sharif assumed office, experts in Pakistan said they do not see an immediate improvement in ties between Pakistan and India in the near future due to their major differences over the vexed Kashmir issue.

The two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours have been locked in a love-hate relationship since independence from British colonial rule in 1947, having brief periods of engagement amidst conflicts.

The ties nosedived in 2019 after India abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcating the state into two Union Territories.