Washington, Sept 28: The Obama Administration on Tuesday asserted that its ties with India and Pakistan is not a zero sum game, dismissing contentions of Pakistani leadership that there is an anti-US sentiment prevailing in their country as they see Washington tilting towards New Delhi.
“First of all, with regard to the concern expressed in (Pakistan) with regard to US-India relations, the US does not consider this a zero-sum game, US-India or US-Pakistan,” State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters.
“We need and we seek good, strong relations with each, and we also strongly support the improvement of relations between India and Pakistan, particularly the talks that they are engaged in now on Kashmir and other issues,” she said.
Nuland was responding to questions about the latest statement from Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in which he says that there is a widespread view in Pakistan that the United States has tilted toward India since the Cold War and that this is one reason for anti-American sentiment.
He essentially asked the United States to stop accusing Pakistan of playing a double game with militants.
Nuland said the US has been working for some time now on this new Silk Road initiative to integrate South Asia with central Asia.
“The initiative formally launched in New York and will be picked up in Istanbul at the beginning of November,” she said.
“We are actually seeking to improve relationships across the region by strengthening trade, strengthening transportation throughout South Central Asia as a way of enriching all of the countries of the neighborhood and easing some of the tensions and suspicions that they've had together, sort of raising all boats at the same time,” Nuland said.
“So we are very much engaged in trying to improve relations throughout the region to help these countries get along better with each other, and we don't see any sort of zero-sum situation here,” Nuland said.
“I think what you have heard in these statements is shared on the US side in the sense that the United States and Pakistan have to work together on the terrorist threats that we both face, and particularly we have to work together in confronting the Haqqani Network and then moving on to other issues,” the US official said.
“So from that perspective, that we need to roll up our sleeves and do the work, we are making that case ourselves,” she added. PTI
