Washington, June 24 (IANS) Expressing the hope that Pakistan would be a responsible stakeholder on security issues, in particular the nuclear issue, the US has said that New Delhi and Islamabad need to work on issues between them peaceably on their own.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has talked “about his concerns about tensions between India and Pakistan right now,” about various issues State Department spokesman John Kirby recalled Tuesday in response to a question at his daily press briefing.
Kerry has also talked about “our continued belief that both sides need to work these issues out peaceably and on their own,” he said.
Asked if Pakistan’s nuclear programme is safe from terrorist hands in the context of former Pakistan President Pervez Musharaff’s reported threat that Islamabad may use the nuclear weapon against India, Kirby said: “I’m certainly not going to talk about intelligence issues here.”
“But our expectation continues to be that Pakistan will be a responsible stakeholder on security issues, in particular the nuclear issue,” he said.
In response to a question about child labour and child trafficking in India, China and several other countries, Kirby said: “Obviously, this is a concern that we have around the world – the issue of child labor and certainly human trafficking.
“It’s something that we are constantly talking to our friends and partners about. It’s a significant concern,” he said.
“Our positions, our stance on them have not changed, and we’re going to continue to work this just as hard as we can.”
At the White House too, spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters in response to a question about child labour that as a general matter, President Barack Obama “believes strongly that we need to be serious about combating child trafficking.”
” And the administration has devoted significant time and consideration, and even resources, to international efforts to try to fight human trafficking.”
“This is something that the President has talked about frequently, not just with his national security staff, but in his conversations with other world leaders, and even in the context of international meetings at the United Nations,” Earnest said.
Asked if Obama had talked with Prime Minister Narendra Modi about public health issues in the context of Yoga Day, the spokesman said he was “not aware that the President had any conversations with world leaders on this topic.”
But obviously the President and the First Lady have made public health and the health of the American people a top priority of their administration,” he said.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)