ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday welcomed the United States (US) offer for mediation on the Kashmir issue.
In a statement, Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said Pakistan welcomes US mediation on Jammu and Kashmir.
“We accept mediatory role by newly elected US administration.”
He said that the issue can be resolved if the US steps forward. This statement came after US Vice President Mike Pence offered to mediate on the Kashmir issue.
Zakaria said Pakistan always supported the dialogue process for better ties with neighbouring countries. He also said the regional peace is linked to the resolution of Kashmir issue under the United Nations charters.
US Vice-President-elect Mike Pence had said Donald Trump could use his “extraordinary deal-making skills” to reduce tensions around the world and resolve problems, including the Kashmir issue.
In interview with the NBC News, he said the new US administration intends to be ‘fully engaged’ in South Asia and with India and Pakistan on issues such as Kashmir to promote peace and security in the region.
“I think in president-elect Donald Trump you’ve got someone, who is prepared to advance America’s interests here at home, to rebuild this economy, to fight for American jobs,” he said.
“But I think you’re also going to see an energetic leadership in the world, prepared to engage and to look for ways that he can bring those extraordinary deal-making skills to bear on lessening tensions and solving problems in the world,” he added.
Referring to recent tensions between India and Pakistan, Pence said Trump wanted to make sure that both countries “know that when this administration takes office, that we intend to be fully engaged in the region and fully engaged with both nations to advance peace and security”.
Pence also said there had “been great tension between India and Pakistan in recent days. It’s resulted in violence along the Kashmir region”.
During his conversations with leaders of India and Pakistan, Trump had expressed “a desire for continued US engagement on building the relationship with both of those countries.” The US president had expressed the desire to visit Pakistan on Wednesday in a phone call made by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to felicitate Trump for becoming the 46th president of the United States after the November elections.
Trump has spoken to more than 50 leaders around the world and these were “courtesy conversations”, Pence said, adding that they were “part and parcel of beginning the kinds of relationships that will allow our new president to advance America’s interests in the world”.
