Pakistan's ambassador to the United States said that the lack of US condemnation for an Indian airstrike inside Pakistan was seen by his government as having increased tensions between the two neighbours.

Ambassador Asad Majeed Khan told reporters in Washington Wednesday that the US response to the airstrike was "construed and understood as an endorsement of the Indian position, and that is what emboldened them even more."

Khan also repeated Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's assertions that Pakistan has made a "sincere" offer to investigate the deadly February 14 suicide bombing in Kashmir that prompted India's airstrike Tuesday in Pakistan.

He said Pakistan wants "dialogue" with India and not war, but noted that the prime minister has authorized Pakistan's armed forces of Pakistan to respond "decisively and comprehensively to any aggression."

First Published:Feb 28, 2019 11:02 AM IST