US welcomes Ind-Pak agreement reaffirming ceasefire along LoC

New York, Feb 26 The US has welcomed the agreement between India and Pakistan reaffirming their commitment to a ceasefire along the Line of Control, President Joe Biden's spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Thursday.

"This is a positive step towards greater peace and stability in South Asia, which is in our shared interest and we encourage both the countries to keep building upon this progress," Psaki said during her daily briefing in Washington.

She said, "The US welcomes the joint statement between India and Pakistan that the two countries have agreed to maintain strict observance of ceasefire along the Line of Control starting February 25."

Asked whether Pakistan was doing enough to combat terrorism, Psaki did not give a direct reply.

She said, "We remain closely engaged with a range of leaders and officials in the region, including those in Pakistan. But in terms of an assessment of that, I would point you to the state department or the intelligence department."

The two neighbours' director generals of military operations (DGMO) announced the agreement reaffirming the ceasefire on Thursday.

Their joint statement said that after a "free, frank and cordial" assessment of the situation along the border, they agreed "in the interest of achieving mutually beneficial and sustainable peace along the borders. The two DGMO agreed to address each other's core issues and concerns which have the propensity to disturb peace and lead to violence".

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@.in and followed on Twitter at @arulouis)

( With inputs from IANS )