Priorities and nature of ties with India, Pak different: WH

TIL Desk/World/Washington/ Asserting that the US’ ties with India and Pakistan were not a ‘zero-sum game’, the White House has said that the Trump administration’s priorities and the nature of relationship with the two countries were different.

“We seek to have an effective partnership with each country. With India, we’re building that strategic partnership. We see India’s role and influence growing. We like to encourage that trend. So, we’re looking for ways to cooperate on our mutual interests,” a senior administration official told reporters at a news conference here.

“With Pakistan, we seek to have a productive partnership working together. But frankly, the priorities are different, and the nature of the relationships are different. So, I think that we would like to move forward with both countries.

“We realise that the pace and scope of that relationship is going to be different in each case,” the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity said in response to a question on concerns in Pakistan with regard to increasing ties with India.

Relationship with India and Pakistan is not a zero-sum game, he said. “I want to make the point here that US relationships with India and Pakistan really stand on their own merits and terms. We don’t see a zero-sum relationship when it comes to the US relationship with Pakistan and the US relationship with India.