US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has sought to allay concerns in New Delhi that Washington’s growing strategic engagement with Pakistan might come at the expense of its “deep, historic, and important” relationship with India.
Speaking to reporters en route to Doha, Qatar, on Saturday, Rubio emphasised that the US’ outreach to Pakistan is part of a broader diplomatic strategy and not aimed at sidelining India.
“I don’t think anything we’re doing with Pakistan comes at the expense of our relationship or friendship with India,” Rubio said, addressing questions about India’s apprehensions over the recent surge in US-Pakistan engagement.
Acknowledging India’s historical concerns about Pakistan, he added, “We know they’re concerned for obvious reasons because of the tensions that have existed between Pakistan and India historically.”
Broader Diplomatic Imperatives
Rubio highlighted the necessity for the US to maintain relations with multiple countries. “We see an opportunity to expand our strategic relationship with Pakistan, and that’s our job — to figure out how many countries we can work with on matters of common interest,” he said.
He also praised India’s diplomatic maturity, noting, “The Indians are very mature when it comes to diplomacy. They have some relationships with countries that we don’t have relationships with. It’s part of a mature, pragmatic foreign policy.”
US-Pakistan Engagement and India
Rubio’s remarks come amid renewed US engagement with Pakistan under the Trump administration, which has reportedly caused concern in New Delhi.
Earlier this year, following India’s Operation Sindoor, which targeted terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) in retaliation for a terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, both nations had agreed to halt full-scale military actions after a call between their respective Director Generals of Military Operations.
US President Donald Trump had repeatedly claimed credit for helping de-escalate tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, a claim India has categorically denied, while Pakistan welcomed it, even nominating Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Trade tensions have also surfaced, with the US imposing 50% tariffs on Indian exports, citing India’s purchase of Russian oil that Washington says supports Moscow’s war efforts in Ukraine, compared with 19% for Pakistan. Meanwhile, Washington has signed agreements with Islamabad on mineral mining and oil exploration, further fueling speculation about the evolving US-Pakistan relationship.
