US Secretary of State, British NSA discussed Indo-Pak situation
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed with British NSA Mark Sedwill the current situation between India and Pakistan and the efforts to reduce tensions between the two South Asian neighbors, the State Department said. Pompeo and Sedwill reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the US-UK special relationship and cooperation in the face of major global challenges, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino said yesterday.
US continues to engage resources to reduce Indo-Pak tensions: Department
According to the State Department, the talk was reflective of the fact that the United States continues to engage its resources to reduce the tensions between the two nuclear countries. "Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo met with UK National Security Advisor Mark Sedwill today to discuss key global priorities, including support for reducing tension between India and Pakistan," Palladino said in a statement.
Tensions escalated following the deadly Pulwama attack
Palladino said that Pompeo and Sedwill also discussed securing progress in Syria and countering Iran's malign influence. Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) killed 40 CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14. Following the attack, the Indian Air Force launched a counter-terror operation on February 26 in Balakot, Pakistan.
US, UK, France moved UN-proposal to designate Azhar as global-terrorist
The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 in aerial combat and captured its pilot, who was handed over to India on March 1. The US, the UK and France, the three permanent veto-wielding members of the 15-nation United Nations Security Council, last month moved a fresh proposal in the UNSC to designate JeM's chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.
