WASHINGTON: The United States has expressed concern over rising tension and exchange of firing along the Working Boundary between Pakistan and India which has claimed lives of four Pakistani civilians.
On Monday, four persons including a woman and an 18-year-old boy were killed when the Indian border security forces (BSF) again resorted to indiscriminate firing and shelling along the Working Boundary in Sialkot’s Zafarwal and Shakargarh sectors, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR).
“We certainly remain concerned and watch over tensions along the border, and we encourage dialogue between the countries,” the State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said at a news briefing in Washington on Monday.
Psaki said that the US has been supporting dialogue between Islamabad and New Delhi to resolve their differences.
“We certainly support dialogue between the countries,” Psaki said.
The spokesperson also noted that some steps were taken in the recent past and more positive exchanges were needed and more works need to be done.
“There have been some steps over the past year that you know, where there have been more positive exchanges. Obviously, there’s more work that needs to be done,” she said in reply to a question.
On US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue, Jen Psaki said that the United States continues to work closely with Pakistan on a range of issues including counterterrorism and its security relationship.
The two countries are scheduled to hold a ministerial meeting of their bilateral Strategic Dialogue in Islamabad on January 14 for which the US Secretary of State John Kerry will arrive in Islamabad.
