'Govt's position for bilateral redressal of India-Pak issues hasn't changed'

NEW DELHI: India rejected the comments by US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley suggesting a proactive role for America in India-Pakistan ties, saying the outstanding issues between the sub-continental neighbours should be sorted out bilaterally."The government's position for bilateral redressal of all India-Pakistan issues in an environment free of terror and violence hasn't changed," the Indian government said.India sought to underline that international mediation, if at all, must concentrate on getting Pakistan to act against terrorism and enforce the rule of law in keeping with international norms. " We of course expect the international community and organisations to enforce international mechanisms and mandates concerning terrorism emanating from Pakistan, which continues to be the single biggest threat to peace and stability in our region and beyond," said MEA spokesperson Gopal Baglay.Haley's remarks caused India to iterate that a third party role in resolving India-Pakistan issues is not acceptable. "...We are seeing tensions rise and conflicts start to bubble up and so we want to see if we can be a part of that...," she had said .Interestingly, the early days of US administrations have often seen some friction on issues like India-Pakistan and J&K before things settle down. At the start of his first term, President Barack Obama named Richard Holbrooke as a pointsman for Pakistan, Afghanistan and Kashmir before dropping the "K word". Earlier, Bill Clinton called Kashmir one of the most dangerous places on earth before correcting what had been a long standing pro-Pakistan tilt by asking Islamabad to respect the line of control in the Kargil war.On the whole, Democratic administrations have tended to be more preachy on India, Pakistan and J&K as compared to Republicans. India could hope that its firm rebuff to Haley's statement will result in more caution on the part of the Trump administration.