US ties with Pakistan not at India's expense, says US Secy of State Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington's bid to rebuild its partnership with Pakistan under Trump does not diminish its 'deep, historic' friendship with India

The United States is seeking to expand its strategic partnership with Pakistan, but not at the cost of its longstanding relationship with India, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday.

 

Speaking to reporters aboard a flight to Doha, Rubio said Washington’s approach reflects a “mature, pragmatic foreign policy”.

 

“Just like India has ties with countries that the US doesn’t, the vice versa applies,” he said. “I don’t think anything we’re doing with Pakistan comes at the expense of our relationship or friendship with India, which is deep, historic, and important.”

 

Rubio said the US intends to rebuild its alliance with Islamabad beyond counterterrorism. “We’ve had a long history of partnering with Pakistan on counter-terror and things of that nature. We’d like to expand it beyond that, if possible,” he said.

 

He added that he had reached out to Pakistan “even before the conflict with India began,” signalling an effort to re-establish a “strategic partnership”.

 

US-India ties shift under Trump admin

 

The Trump administration’s renewed outreach to Pakistan has drawn unease in New Delhi. 

 

In May, India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop full-scale military actions after four days of hostilities. Trump, on several occasions, has claimed that he helped in de-escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, and told the two nuclear-armed neighbours that the US would do a lot of trade if the conflict were brought to an end.

 

While India rejected his claim, Pakistan welcomed the intervention and even nominated Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize.

 

Tensions have also surfaced in trade policy. Trump has imposed tariffs of 50 per cent on Indian exports to the US, which is significantly higher than the 19 per cent rate for Pakistan. Washington has also inked agreements with Islamabad on mining of critical minerals and oil exploration.

 

Talks with Jaishankar expected at Asean summit

 

Rubio is expected to meet External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on the sidelines of the Asean summit on Monday. The two are likely to discuss trade tensions and India’s continued imports of Russian oil.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually attend the event. US President Donald Trump will also attend the event.  (With inputs from agencies)