WASHINGTON: The United States has urged all sides to the Kashmir dispute to make efforts for finding a peaceful resolution.

“We have seen reports of clashes between protesters and Indian forces in Kashmir. Obviously, we’re concerned about the violence,” US State Department spokesman John Kirby told a news briefing in Washington. “We encourage all sides to make efforts towards finding a peaceful resolution.”

The New York Times reported on Monday that Indian security forces had killed at least 30 people in India-held Kashmir over the previous three days.

When reminded of this report at the Monday afternoon briefing, Mr Kirby said he had seen this and other reports but advised journalists to contact India for comments.

“This is really a matter for the government of India to speak to specifically, and I’d refer you to them for more comments,” he said.

Although the United States recognises Kashmir as a territory disputed between India and Pakistan, international support for Pakistan on this and other issues is gradually decreasing.

This was reflected in Mr Kirby’s response to the Kashmir issue, but on the issue of the Durand Line, he was more explicit.

The British-drawn line is now the internationally recognised border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, but Kabul refuses to accept it as such.

In his new book, former US ambassador to Kabul, Baghdad and the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad, who is an ethnic Afghan, also calls the Durand Line a disputed territory.

When asked to comment on this description, Mr Kirby said: “I’m not going to re-draw the map today between Afghanistan and Pakistan. I don’t have anything additional to add to what we’ve said here.”

In previous statements, Mr Kirby had reaffirmed the US position that the Durand Line was the international border between Pakistan and its western neighbour.

“But broadly speaking, I’m not going to get into a topographical discussion with you today. We understand that the border region is still a safe haven for many terrorist groups,” he said.

Explaining the US position on the Pak-Afghan border dispute, Mr Kirby made three specific points.

One: The border region has become a safe haven for terrorists.

Two: The governments in Afghanistan and Pakistan know this and have made efforts in the past to work together to address that threat.

Three: This effort has not always gone smoothly, and the US continues to urge the two governments to work together along that line to eliminate the safe haven that so many groups there still enjoy.

The United States, he said, wanted them to do so also because the groups were targeting both Afghan and Pakistani civilians.

“So there’s a shared interest there, and that’s what we’re focused on. And we’re not focused on lines on the map; we’re focused on lines of effort to go after these groups by both governments,” said the US official.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2016