US says it won’t get in the middle, on Pakistan’s allegations against India

The US, on Pakistan’s allegations that the Indian government assassinated several individuals on the other side of the border, has said it was not going to get in the middle of the situation.

However, the US also said both sides should avoid an escalation.

The response by US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller came after he was asked about Washington’s stance on a report by The Guardian, citing Pakistani officials, alleging that India killed individuals associated with terrorism and extremism on Pakistan’s soil.

“So, we have been following the media reports about this issue. We don’t have any comment on the underlying allegations, but of course, we’re not going to get in the middle of this situation,” Miller said.

“We encourage both sides to avoid escalation and find a resolution through dialogue,” he added.

The report, earlier this month, quoted intelligence operatives in India and Pakistan to claim that India’s move was part of a wider strategy to eliminate terrorists living on foreign soil.

The report was supported by recent claims by Canada, alleging the involvement of the Indian government in the killing of Khalistani terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey on June 18, 2023.

Later, in response to the report, the Ministry of External Affairs denied all such allegations, calling them “false and malicious propaganda”.

The allegations are “false and malicious anti-India propaganda”, the Ministry of External Affairs told The Guardian.

It also underlined a previous statement by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in which he said that targeted killings in other countries were “not the policy of the government of India”.