US expresses disappointment over Indo-Pak NSA talks being called off

The U.S. State Department has expressed its disappointment over India and Pakistan not going ahead with the national security advisor-level talks that were scheduled to be held in New Delhi on August 24.

In a statement, the State Department said, ""We are disappointed the talks will not happen this weekend and encourage India and Pakistan to resume formal dialogue soon."

State Department spokesman John Kirby was quoted by media here, as saying that Washington had been encouraged by the "constructive" interaction between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Ufa, Russia, on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, but was now concerned about the next steps not being taken by the two nations to improve bilateral ties.

Kirby said that the Obama administration had been looking forward to seeing some positive outcomes emerging from the interaction between the Indian and Pakistani national security advisors.

In a late night decision on Saturday, Pakistan called off the NSA-level talks proposed for Sunday and Monday after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj asked Islamabad to give a commitment that it would not go ahead with meeting separatists at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.

Pakistan said that it could not go ahead with the talks based on preconditions set by India.

India maintained that the joint statement inked in Ufa had very clearly stated that the NSA talks would be focused on the issue of terror and violence, and ways to end it. It also said that the Ufa statement had also agreed to a meeting between the border chiefs and the directors generals of military operations of the two countries on the issue of cease-fire violations and infiltration of militants.

India also insisted that Pakistan must understand the difference between a composite dialogue and a bilateral discussion.