The US is very supportive of the increasing ties and communications between India and Pakistan but will not insert itself into their issues, a senior Obama Administration official has said.
“We are very supportive of the increased ties and communications. But we look at it as an issue that it is for India and Pakistan to work together. So we want to support that in any way possible and advocate for it,” Daniel F Feldman, Deputy Special US Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, said.
“It is not something where we are seeking to insert ourselves into. Certainly we welcomed little bit of readout of what happened in the meetings of the Commerce Ministers; some of the recent agreements that have been made on trade; the commitment at Wagah (border). And we look forward to how the India Pakistan relationship continues to progress,” he said.
Feldman is one of the key officials working under Special Representative James Dobbins, who handles Af-Pak issues.
He said it is not prescriptive of the United States on what India and Pakistan can do together.
Feldman said that the recently concluded US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue has “set the stage” for deepening and strengthening of bilateral relationship.
“I think we are at a very promising moment for the US-Pakistan relationship, but it is after a lot of hard work over the past few years to get us to this position,” he said.
Co-chaired by Secretary of State John Kerry and Pakistan Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, the Strategic Dialogue last month really succeeded in continuing to strengthen and deepen the bilateral ties, he noted.
“We just note the obvious when we speak with both countries that there is huge markets to tap here and for Pakistan which is looking for increased trade partners and wants to grow its commerce…”
“We are going to do everything we can to try to continue it, but it is a very easy goal to look at its neighbour and determine how that relationship can continued to be grown. And that would pay dividends in the short term. And so we hope that it can they continue to move in that direction,” he said.
