Rubio Says US-Pakistan Engagement No Threat to India Partnership
By The Media Line Staff
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified that Washington’s efforts to broaden its strategic engagement with Pakistan will not come at the expense of America’s longstanding partnership with India.
Rubio told journalists on his flight to Doha on Saturday that the US hopes to collaborate with Pakistan on common goals seeking to expand cooperation beyond counterterrorism efforts.
“We see an opportunity to expand our strategic relationship with Pakistan,” Rubio said. “Our job is to identify countries where we can work together on issues of common interest.”
The secretary of state emphasized that the renewed outreach to Islamabad should not be viewed as a shift away from New Delhi.
“Nothing we are doing with Pakistan comes at the expense of our friendship with India, which is deep, historic and important,” he said, adding that both countries understand the value of pragmatic diplomacy.
“We’ve had a long history of working with Pakistan on counterterrorism and security,” he said. “We’d like to build on that foundation and move beyond it where possible.”
Rubio confirmed that Washington had initiated contact with Islamabad even before tensions between the two countries flared recently.
His comments come at a time when the United States is renewing diplomatic engagement across South Asia, seeking to maintain balance in a region marked by complex rivalries and shifting alliances.
Diplomatic observers see the remarks as part of Washington’s effort to reestablish influence in the region by developing new ties and strengthening old ones and assuring India that its strategic partnership remains intact.
The approach signals a bid to balance competing interests in a volatile region, where US influence has waned in recent years amid China’s growing footprint and shifting security dynamics.
By keeping both Islamabad and New Delhi engaged, Washington appears intent on preserving strategic leverage without alienating either side.
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