Washington says Pakistan, India to ascertain scope of bilateral dialogue themselves

WASHINGTON: Matthew Miller, the spokesperson for the United States Department of State, Sunday commented on the ease in tensions between Pakistan and India witnessed during the recently held Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government summit hosted by Islamabad last week.

In an exclusive interview to Geo News, the US official said it is now up to both the countries to make a decision regarding the scope and role of any bilateral dialogue.

Reacting to the meeting between India's External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar with Pakistani leaders during the summit, Miller said: "We have bilateral relations with Pakistan and India. The US values ​​its relations with both countries."

Both Pakistan and India witnessed their usually contentious relations ease during the SCO Council of Heads of Government Summit that welcomed top leaders of member countries in the federal capital.

India, ensuring its participation in the high-level summit, sent its External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who termed the event as a "productive meeting", soon after his speech on October 16.

Jaishankar, who attended the SCO moot held in Islamabad, was the first foreign minister of the neighbouring country to visit Pakistan in nearly a decade.

"Signed eight outcome documents. India made a positive and constructive contribution to the deliberations," he wrote on X.

While departing from Islamabad after the regional event, Jaishankar thanked PM Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar and the government for the "hospitality and courtesies".

Relations between the two countries have witnessed periods of thaw from time to time but have been largely strained since Islamabad downgraded diplomatic ties with New Delhi in 2019 following the abrogation of Article 370 — revoking special status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

Pakistan has linked its decision to normalising ties with India with the restoration of the special status of the IIOJK.

Despite the frosty ties, the two countries agreed to renew the 2003 ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control (LoC) in February 2021.