Posted on 01/10/2013 12:51:40 AM PST by Jyotishi
Washington - The US has asked India and Pakistan to cool down tensions over the killing of two Indian soldiers along the Line of Control in (LoC) Jammu and Kashmir and talk to each other to improve relations.
"We're urging both sides to take steps to end the violence. We continue to strongly support any efforts to improve relations between the two countries," State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters Wednesday.
"We've also discussed these latest incidents with both governments, urged them to talk to each other, and urged calm," she said in response to a question about the incident.
"We are concerned about reports of violence along the Line of Control in Kashmir. It's our understanding that the governments of India and Pakistan are now talking and trying to work through these issues at a high level," Nuland said.
Asked if the US was worried about possible escalation of the incident, the spokesperson said: "Violence is not the answer for either country."
Washington, she said, has through calls at the ambassadorial level in both countries been "counselling both governments to de-escalate, to work through this issue, to continue the consultations between them at a high level that we understand are ongoing now".
Asked if the US supported a Pakistani move for a third party or UN investigation into the incident, Nuland said it would be best if the two countries could work it out themselves, but if both sides wanted UN support, Washington would back that too.
"India and Pakistan have made pretty good progress in recent years in working through a number of difficult issues, including opening of trade relations," she noted.
"They are now engaged at a high level on these recent incidents. If they can work it out themselves, that's obviously best," she said. But "If both parties were interested in support from the UN, et cetera, we'd obviously support that as well.
"But at the moment, we're urging them to talk to each other," Nuland said.
The spokesperson declined comment into the alleged beheading of two Indian soldiers saying, "I'm not going to get into the specifics here. I think we've spoken to the general principles we want to see here."
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was aware of the tension between India and Pakistan on this issue and "instructed our ambassadors to work with both governments, which they are doing", Nuland said.
Outraged India Says Pakistanis Beheaded Soldier
TENSIONS RISE IN KASHMIR, BUT PAKISTANI OFFICIALS CALL CLAIM ‘BASELESS’
http://m.newser.com/story/160646/outraged-india-says-pakistanis-beheaded-soldier.html
Excerpt:
Things are again heating up in volatile Kashmir, where Indian officials charge that Pakistani army members slaughtered and mutilated two Indian soldiers, beheading one of them and taking the severed head with them. India says Pakistani army members fired over the Line of Control that divides the contested territory yesterday, killing the two soldiers in a “barbaric and inhuman mutilation.” Pakistan dismisses the accusation as “baseless,” and says it would welcome a UN inquiry, reports the BBC.
Thanks. Here’s a related news item:
United Nations observer group to probe LoC incident
IANS
DNA
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Washington, DC - The UN military observer group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has decided to conduct a probe into the ceasefire violations on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir after it received an official complaint from the Pakistan Army, a UN spokesman said.
“Regarding the January 6 alleged incident, the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan, or UNMOGIP, has received an official complaint from the Pakistan Army and will conduct an investigation as soon as possible in accordance with its mandate,” Martin Nesirky, spokesman for secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, was quoted as saying at a press briefing.
Pakistan has accused Indian troops of killing one of its soldiers, which was followed by a similar charge by Indian authorities. India is protesting Pakistani troops sneaking into Jammu and Kashmir’s Mendhar sector to kill two Indian soldiers, apart from mutilating their bodies. However, on the second “alleged incident” that occurred January 8, “no official complaint has been received either from the Pakistan Army or Indian Army,” Nesirky added.
“The UNMOGIP is aware that the armies of the two South Asian neighbours are in contact via the hotline and urges both sides to respect the cease fire and de-escalate tensions through dialogue,” he said.
On Wednesday, Pakistan denied its troops crossed into Jammu and Kashmir and killed two Indian soldiers but said it was ready to investigate India’s claim. “Pakistan strongly rejects the Indian allegation of an attack across the Line of Control (LoC) on its military patrol in which two Indian soldiers were claimed to have been killed. These are baseless and unfounded allegations,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said Pakistan was prepared to launch an investigation through the UNMOGIP on the ceasefire violations. The director general military operations of the Pakistani Army on Wednesday spoke to his Indian counterpart by telephone and strongly rejected New Delhi’s claim.
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_united-nations-observer-group-to-probe-loc-incident_1787478
obama scum — the Indians have no intention of the UN getting involved in a matter within India - Kashmir is Indian de jure
To my Indian freedom loving friends... bust some paki arse... and tell jug-ears to FO!
LLS
Kenyan-born Muzzie ping. Thanks Jyotishi.
Obama ONLY enters to protect Islam, so there
must have been some horrible attack on India
from Obama’s Pakistani friends, and the
Tyrant now wants to stop retaliation (like he does
with Israel).
India rejects Pak proposal for UN probe into LoC incident
PTI
The Pioneer
Friday, January 11, 2013
India today outrightly rejected Pakistan’s proposal for UN investigation into Tuesday’s incident on Line of Control (LoC) in which two Indian soldiers were killed with the body of one being badly mutilated.
The issue figured at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) which was briefed by Defence Minister A K Antony on the incident in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch sector on January eight and subsequent developments.
“We are certainly not going to agree to internationalise the issue or allow the United Nations to hold an inquiry. That demand is obviously rejected out of hand,” Finance Minister P Chidambaram told a press conference after the meetings of the Union Cabinet and CCS here.
Pakistan had yesterday claimed that its troops were not involved in the attack carried out inside the Indian territory in Mendhar area of Jammu and Kashmir and said it was prepared to hold investigation through the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP). UNMOGIP has presence on both sides of LoC.
“We take a serious view of what happened...Whatever has to be done will be done,” Chidambaram said while describing the incident as brutal.
He noted that Pakistan High Commissioner Salman Bashir had been summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs yesterday and a protest lodged.
Chidambaram, who is a member of CCS presided by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, asserted that Indian troops had committed no violation of the ceasefire agreement as claimed in a media report.
He said the conduct of the Indian troops was within the guidelines that were agreed upon by the two countries.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said the action of Pakistani troops was inhuman and the government had taken the matter seriously.
“It was inhuman. We have condemned it,” he said.
Pffft!~!@ yet had it been the other way around you know WH would have asked for UN sanctions against India. Pak-kee-stan major friend of White House, heck just like the Mussizbrotherhood and Sharia.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.