Ex-U.S. envoy to Pakistan urges Trump administration to back PM Imran Khan’s push for peace

NEW YORK, Mar 05 (APP)::Former U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter has praised the Trump administration’s use of “quiet diplomacy” to de-escalate the current India-Pakistan tensions, and urged it to back Prime Minister Imran Khan’s offer of dialogue to the Indians to promote peace.
“The Trump administration did not do badly because it was quiet,” Munter, who served during the Obama administration, told Hill TV’s news programme “Rising.”
“The way to deal with these kinds of issues is quiet diplomacy, behind-the-scenes diplomacy, and America did engage in that, and I think effectively with other countries, as well,” he continued.
Replying to a question, Munter noted that Pakistani military has denied using US-built F-16 jets in shooting down India’s warplane last Wednesday after an American Embassy spokesperson said they were looking into reports if Pakistan did.
“I think making this a very public issue is only going to make both sides get overly excited and the public overly excited on this issue,” he said.
“Imran Khan, the leader of Pakistan, has given an opening to the Indians if America can be supportive of that opening. I think it’s not a bad idea. I think one has to be sensitive of the electoral issues that [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi, who is up for election in another month, is facing,” Munter said.
“America has to be disciplined, and I think quiet, and can play a very good role in the background,” he said.