India, May 10 -- Indian-American Congressman and a member of the Intelligence Committee of the US House of Representatives, Ami Bera spoke to HT before India and Pakistan declared a ceasefire about his concerns around the India-Pakistan conflict, the need for an American diplomatic presence to reduce tensions and Pakistan's ongoing internal terrorism problem.

Q. Could you tell us about your views on escalating tensions we've seen between India and Pakistan over the last week or two?

A. Obviously, we're very concerned with the escalation. As a senior Indian American member of Congress, I saw the heinous attacks in April on innocent tourists in Kashmir. Obviously, we knew there would be some sort of response from the Indian government. An...