US reacts to PM Modi's remarks on killing terrorists, says it encourages both nations to avoid escalation’

The United States has encouraged India and Pakistan to avoid escalation and find a resolution through dialogue.

While responding to a question on whether the Biden administration is concerned about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh's remarks that India will not hesitate to kill terrorists in their homes, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Tuesday said that the US does not want to get in the middle but it does encourage dialogue between the two nations.

"As I have said before, the United States is not going to get into the middle of this. But we do encourage both India and Pakistan to avoid escalation and find a resolution through dialogue,” Miller said.

Days after a report by the British newspaper The Guardian on April 5 claimed that India carried multiple targeted assasinations in Pakistan, PM Modi said, “Today, there is a strong government in the country. Under this mazboot Modi sarkar, atankwaadiyon ko ghar mein ghus ke mara jata hai (Under the strong Modi government, terrorists are being killed by entering their homes).”

Modi said this during a public rally in Uttarakhand's Rishikesh. However, New Delhi has rejected the claims as "false and malicious anti-India propaganda".

Earlier, the US clarified that it won’t get in the middle of India-Pakistan over the assassination allegations.
Moreover, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also said the government won't spare terrorists who try to disturb the country's peace and that they would be hunted even if they run back to Pakistan.

On being asked as to why the US has not imposed any sanctions on India over the alleged assassination plot of Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Miller, said, “I am never going to preview any sanction actions, which is not to say that there are any coming, but when you ask me to talk about sanctions, it's something that we don't discuss openly.”

Meanwhile, India has repeatedly emphasised that cross-border terrorism will never be tolerated and it can’t be kept aside to improve its ties with Pakistan.