US asks India, Pakistan to take step and reduce tension

Washington, Describing terrorism as a shared challenge and a shared responsibility, the United States has suggested all countries, including India and Pakistan, work in concert and coordination to get at this very real threat.

Indian Prime Minister "has every right to be concerned about the security of his country and his people," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters Tuesday when asked about Narendra Modi's comments about terrorism during his recent visit to Dubai.

"We all recognize and our partners in that region recognize that terrorism is a shared challenge, a shared responsibility," he said referring to Modi's call to close all doors to terrorists like Dawood Ibrahim, who is reported to have homes in both Pakistan and Dubai.

It was, Kirby said, "for all of us to work together to share information as best we can and to work in concert and coordination as we are against ISIL, 62-plus nations – to get at this very real threat."

Asked how many terrorists wanted by both India and the US were hiding in Pakistan, Kirby said he had "no idea, what the number might be to that."

But "independence celebrations, I think, offer a good opportunity for everybody, whether they're Indian or Pakistani, to kind of reflect on the challenges, the common challenges and security situation there between those two countries and inside those two countries," he said.

"We know there continue to be tensions, and our position about that has not changed. These are matters for both India and Pakistan to work out," Kirby said.

"There's certainly enough motivation to do that given that tension still exists."

"As for our assistance, I mean, we have strong relationships with both countries," he said though he did not have "the details of the security assistance package that was provided to Pakistan."

"But we have strong bilateral relations with both countries, and we, the United States have, as Secretary (of State John) Kerry has said himself, have strong interest in seeing peaceful resolution to the tensions there," Kirby said.

(IANS)