Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday put it bluntly that America’s relations with Pakistan must be separate from Pakistan’s relations with India, and America’s influence on India should not be “hyphenated” with that on Pakistan in international diplomacy.
In reference to recent comments by US President Donald Trump, Tharoor said the American President was giving signals of friendship and warmth towards India while he is holding positive talks with Pakistan. This is the way in which India has insisted that bilateral relations must remain separate from each other, Tharoor said.
Congress MP said decades ago India had called upon the world leaders to make New Delhi and not Pakistan visit independently. He stated that the same rule of success should also be followed in International Diplomacy in today’s era.
Tharoor pointed out that President Trump has commended Pakistan and its military establishment, but also commended Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India. He said that it is perfectly acceptable for countries to have good partnerships with more than one partner and that this type of diplomacy should not be interpreted as a contradiction.
Tharoor said New Delhi also does not depend on Washington for its relations with others, and while making parallels with the Indian foreign policy, defined its own path with countries like Russia and China. Likewise, he noted, the U.S. has its own bilateral interests to pursue.
However, said Tharoor, as a friendly country, India does not want the United States to take steps that undercut the Indian interests. If that condition is taken care of, he said, neither country should try to interfere with the foreign affairs of the other nation.