US 'supportive' of developments between India, Pakistan ties

The United States has said that it would support any decisions made towards developing ties between Indian and Pakistan as the Prime Ministers of both nations are set to meet in the US capital next month.

"We're supportive of any decisions that could be made for this to take place," US State Department spokesman, Mark Toner said when asked if the United States was involved in efforts to arrange a meeting between the two South Asian leaders.

According to Dawn, diplomatic observers in Washington say that the United States, India and Pakistan are quietly exploring the possibility of a meeting between Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Narendra Modi when the two leaders visit Washington next month.

Both the Prime Ministers have accepted US President Barack Obama's invitation to attend a nuclear summit which is being hosted by the White House on March 31 and April 1.

"Certainly, we remain engaged with the Indian government. We want to see this entire effort move forward," Toner added.

Both Prime Minister Modi and Sharif have had three meetings so far

Toner also lauded Pakistan's efforts to fight terrorists, highlighting that no country was more affected by terrorism than Pakistan.

"I can't speak specifically to ISIL's presence or non-presence in Pakistan. I can say that we've seen elements of ISIL or ISIL-affiliated groups spring up in Afghanistan. I mean, they look for ungoverned spaces. There are parts of Pakistan that are havens for some of these terrorist organisations," Toner said.

He said the United States 'fully recognised Pakistani commitment to pushing back and fighting these terrorists'.

"No one's more affected by terrorism than the people of Pakistan, and we're going to continue to support them, whether it's ISIL or other terrorist groups operating on their soil," Toner added.