WASHINGTON: The United States has condemned the latest terrorist attacks in India-held Kashmir but said it would not assume that Pakistan was behind them.

A senior State Department official “strongly condemned” Friday’s terrorist attacks, noting that it claimed the lives of innocent civilians, military, and police personnel.

“The United States remains firmly committed to working in close partnership with India to defeat terrorism in all its forms,” the official said.

Read:17 dead as militants attack army camp in Indian-held Kashmir

The issue was also raised at a State Department news briefing where spokesperson Marie Harf also condemned the attacks but refused to blame Pakistan for them.

“I wouldn’t jump to conclusions here. But we have encouraged both countries to work together on this,” Ms Harf said when an Indian journalist alleged that the Pakistan Army had instigated the attacks.

“You wouldn’t jump to conclusions about who might be behind this attack?” the journalist asked. “Yes,” said the US official, adding that she would not “accept the premise of the question.”

Also read: US brushes aside assumptions linking Pakistan to Kashmir violence

“Was there any Pakistani involvement?” the journalist asked again.

“I wouldn’t assume anything,” she said.

When the journalist pointed out that the attacks followed Pakistan Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif’s visit to the United States last week, the US official said: “I think that you’re conflating a couple of things.”

“Obviously, we know the Secretary and the army chief of staff had a very productive discussion on Sunday on a range of security-related issues, and again, we’re concerned about any violence in Kashmir,” she said.

Ms Harf said that the US policy on Kashmir had not changed and it still favoured a dialogue between India and Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2014