It has made clear that the United States is asking Narendra Modi’s Indian government to restore local elections and political rights in every region across all the Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir territories. Donald Lu, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, said in a statement on Saturday.
In an interview with the BBC, a spokesperson for Lu said, “I want to clarify that the American policy on Kashmir in no way has changed since the deal made.”
A spokesperson for the US Department of State said that the US government has discussed human rights violations in India at a very high level, especially in Indian-occupied Kashmir, with New Delhi.
It was the assistant secretary’s view that a solution to the Kashmir crisis could only be achieved through direct negotiations between India and Pakistan, which he said must be as direct as possible.
Political rights in Kashmir valley
Furthermore, he suggested that it should be a priority to ensure that the media continues to be able to perform its job in Kashmir. ‘All these measures are necessary for maintenance of peace and it is hope that in the coming years, peace will be able to be ensure in the Kashmir valley.’
Lu further stated that when asked about the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, the project of the sale of F-16 planes is not military aid, rather it is a sale of military equipment, as this is a sale of military hardware.
The interviewee said that if an American selling military equipment to a country also provides technical support for that country, “So, it is a win-win situation,” Lu said.
In his response to questions about the chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party and the former prime minister Imran Khan, US assistant secretary of state Jake Sullivan said there would be no response to any queries he receives about the former cricketer and politician.
