US rejects Pak’s request to mediate in talks with India to resolve Kashmir, water issues

ISLAMABAD - The United States has rejected Pakistan’s request to mediate between it and India to help both resolve outstanding issues, including Kashmir and the river water sharing dispute.

During a joint media interaction with Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi here, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made it clear that Washington would continue with its “hands off” policy concerning the Indo-Pak impasse.

“We can only encourage, we can’t solve (the Kashmir issue) because at the end of the day, this is an issue (to which) there is no dictated response. This is what Pakistan must do, this is what India must do,” Clinton said.

Commenting on the water dispute between both South Asian neighbouring nations, she said that Islamabad must ensure judicious use of water and manage its own resources before seeking external mediation.

“Pakistan has to get control of the water you currently have, because if you go to a mediation body and say water is being diverted, the first response will be you are not efficiently using the water you have,” Clinton told reporters.

When asked about the recent meeting between Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna with his Pakistani counterpart Qureshi, which ended on a bitter note, Clinton stressed that the Obama administration would like both Islamabad and New Delhi to sustain their renewed engagement process. (ANI)