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India, Pakistan making progress: Boucher

"Kashmir is a bilateral issue that should be solved by Delhi and Islamabad only"

Washington: The United States has said that India and Pakistan were making good progress on the Kashmir issue.

New Delhi and Islamabad had made some visible progress on the contentious issue and were taking forward the composite dialogue process in a careful manner, Richard Boucher, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, said in an interview to ANI.

"You have seen some really good progress between India and Pakistan in the composite dialogue including on the aspect of Kashmir," Mr. Boucher said. "They have had new confidence building measures — started bus lines, railroads, people [going] back and forth in a way that they never had before — and each of them has stepped forward with, I think, some political parties and the interest of different groups in Kashmir, so there is a fair amount of thinking going on — new ideas coming forth and new steps being taken and that is good," he said.

He said the U.S. viewed its role in the Kashmir dispute as that of a friend for both countries. The issue was bilateral and had to be solved by India and Pakistan only.

"We are friends"

"We are friends of the Indians, friends with the Pakistanis welcoming the steps they have taken, encouraging the progress they are trying to make, and I think in terms of specific steps that they are doing the right thing.

"Both sides see the U.S. as a friend; there are different views about whether we should be involved or not. We define our involvement with both sides as friends, as interested outsiders but leave the work to them, I think that is the right way to go," he said.

On the India-U.S. nuclear deal, he said the Bush administration was hopeful of it being passed by Congress. "I think the chances are good. We have been talking to a lot of people in Congress and many have said they would support the idea. They want to support the new U.S.-India relationship that this is part of and have questions about various aspects — non-proliferation aspects or specific aspects of the deal — but I think in general it is a good step forward for non-proliferation," he said.

"It is a great step forward for the U.S.-India relationship and as Congressmen and Senators hear that message from us, from the business community and others that they will want to support that step forward," he added.

He said the U.S. was monitoring the "war of words" between Kabul and Islamabad adding that though there might be some differences over the two, fundamentally there was co-operation between them.

On the deteriorating situation in Balochistan, where Pakistan has been accused of significant human rights violations, he said, the U.S. was in touch with the federal government and was monitoring the issue.

"I have not seen any evidence of that. There is certainly violence there," said Mr. Boucher.

"Those need to be dealt with in political and economic ways; so we are following this. We are in touch with the Pakistan Government but they are going to have to figure out how to deal with a whole set of problems, not just the military side," he added.

Pakistan has been accused of using heavy artillery and firepower including helicopter gunships and jet fighters to quell the spiralling violence in Balochistan.

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