US supportive of resumption of Indo-Pak dialogue

Jaipur, Sep 3: The US today said it was important for India and Pakistan to find a way to resume dialogue and it was supportive of such efforts.

"US would like to see a good relationship between India and Pakistan. We think that finding a way to dialogue is important. We support dialogues," US Charge d'Affaires to India, Kathleen Stephen told reporters tonight on the sidelines of a programme here.

India had recently called off foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan following its High Commissioner Abdul Basit's meetings with separatist leaders from Kashmir.

Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh's scheduled meeting with her Pakistani counterpart Aizaz in Islamabad on August 25 was canceled and a blunt message was conveyed to that country that it was interfering in India's internal affairs by holding talks with Kashmiri separatists which was "unacceptable".

Stephen said in an encouraging move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited leaders from South Asia region for his swearing in ceremony including his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif, but things did not go that way between the two countries.

Speaking to the city's business fraternity during a function here, Stephen said the US wants to see increase in trade between India and America and invited entrepreneurs to invest in the US and vice versa. Earlier in the day, she met Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and discussed business and investment opportunities between the two nations.

PTI