WASHINGTON, Oct 22: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has again urged the United States to help resolve the Kashmir dispute.

“With its growing influence in India, the US now has the capacity to do more, to help the two sides resolve their core disputes, including Kashmir, and in promoting a culture of cooperation,” the prime minister said in a speech at a US think-tank.

Later, while responding to a question, he described Kashmir as a global flashpoint which threatened peace in the South Asian region and beyond.

The prime minister said that for a durable peace in South Asia, it was important to involve the people of India, Pakistan and Kashmir in any solution to the decades-old conflict. “If India and Pakistan sit together, they can resolve all issues, including Kashmir,” he said.

The prime minister had urged the US to help resolve the Kashmir dispute earlier this week as well but a White House official refused to endorse his position.

The US official said that the Obama administration believed only India and Pakistan could resolve the Kashmir and they should do so bilaterally.