Amid reports that the United States has asked India to pull back troops from the Pakistan border, New Delhi has said that Washington has already been told that it has not mobilised troops along the border.
Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon during his recent visit to the US made it clear to officials there that it was not India but Pakistan, which had mobilised troops along the border in the aftermath of Mumbai attacks, sources in New Delhi said on Thursday night.
The sources outlined India's position in the context of reports in TV channels claiming that the US has put pressure on India asking it to pull back troops from the Pakistan border. The reports claimed that Menon, during his talks with US officials, was told that it is India and not Pakistan that should make the first move towards restoring peace.
The US Embassy in New Delhi dismissed the media reports with sources saying they were not accurate.
In Washington, the State Department said the US has not made any such request as suggested in the media reports. This issue did not come up during the meeting between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Menon, State Department Spokesperson Robert Wood told PTI.
