WASHINGTON: Since Donald Trump took office, India has shown its might in the US. Its foreign minister was one of the first to visit the newly appointed secretary of state, and plans are already in motion to bring Narendra Modi and the new US president together.
During a press conference, Indian Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, whose meeting with Marco Rubio was the latter’s first bilateral encounter since taking office, denied that trade with Pakistan will soon resume.
The US’s dependence on India as a strategic counterbalance in the Asia-Pacific area was highlighted by Rubio’s early emphasis on containing China’s growing power.
The Quad countries—Australia, Japan, and India—were given priority in Rubio’s multilateral discussions on his first day in office. These actions were seen by US media sources as a hint that Rubio’s foreign policy agenda seeks to strengthen India’s position as a crucial Asia-Pacific ally of the United States.
According to analysts, this change will have a big impact on US relations with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Trump-Modi encounter
According to Reuters, Indian and US diplomats are working to set up a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington in February.
Although the presidents’ February meeting is uncertain, sources told Reuters that a bilateral encounter might take place later in the year, possibly during the Quad grouping’s annual summit, which India will host.
Rubio had supported legislation as a senator that would have made India a strategic friend of the United States, on par with Israel, Japan, and NATO nations, especially when it came to technology transfers.
But Pakistan is worried by Rubio’s shift toward India.
“The next White House will likely accord relatively little priority to relations with Pakistan, though it may increase pressure on Islamabad to ease up on its alliance with Beijing,” noted Michael Kugelman, a South Asia specialist at the Wilson Centre in Washington.
Commerce with Pakistan
In response to inquiries from reporters at the Indian embassy in Washington, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar stated that neither proposals nor discussions have been made to resume trade between his nation and Pakistan, according to Dawn.com.
“There have been no talks with Pakistan about trade after last year, nor has any initiative come forward from their side,” Jaishankar stated in response to a query concerning trade with Pakistan.
Regarding the neighbors’ relationship, he added, “We never stopped trade.” In 2019, they took the necessary actions to halt commerce with India.
“Even though we gave them the status of Most Favoured Nation, we were worried from the start that they never gave it to us,” he stated.
Citing the unaltered situation in Indian-held Kashmir since the events of 2019, Pakistan’s Foreign Office stated in August of last year that trade with India was not on the horizon.