Trump sees ‘critical’ role for India in South Asia

TIL Desk/World/New York/ US President Donald Trump has declared that he sees a “critical” role for India in his country’s South Asia strategy for fighting terrorism and building up a safe Afghanistan.

With India “we are committed to pursuing our shared objectives for peace and security in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region,” he said on Monday outlining his new strategy for Afghanistan and the region.

Speaking to 2,000 US military personnel at Fort Myer, near Washington, he also warned that Islamabad’s continued backing for terrorists could lead to a clash with India.

Accusing Pakistan of giving “safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror,” he said that the “threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict. And that could happen.”

Trump’s approach to India outlined in the speech was in stark contrast to the stern warning he delivered to Pakistan that “it has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists.”