US wants India to restart dialogue with Pakistan

NEW DELHI: The US has said that it will push India and Pakistan to develop a strong, bilateral relationship and ruled out the possibility of a rehyphenation of India and Pakistan in its foreign policy.

���Prior to 9/11, we could be accused of having no strategic vision, but now we���re working towards the goal of a developing a constructive bilateral relationship between India and Pakistan,��� said Gregg Sullivan, director of press and public diplomacy for the state department's bureau of South and Central Asia. He further said that there was no question of a rehyphenation and that the US had individual relations with both countries.

���For a long time the United States did hyphenate India and Pakistan. Prior to 9/11 we were guilty of not spending enough time on South Asia, but not anymore," he said.

It is clear that that the US wants India to restart the dialogue process with Pakistan.

Saying that India must beware of Pakistanis trying to enter the country nefarious purposes, Mr Sullivan said in a facebook webchat, that India���s earlier efforts to improve the bilateral relationship had a positive effect in Pakistan.

���Certainly, India must be wary of those Pakistanis seeking to enter India for nefarious reasons, but the signal India sent ��� openness to a better relationship with peace-loving Pakistanis ��� was a powerful psychological message. As India engages with Pakistan on levels other than terrorism and security, it can have a salutary effect on the entire relationship,������ he said in transcripts that were made available to the media. However, the Manmohan Singh government has ruled out the resumption of dialogue till there is credible action from the Pakistani establishment on terrorism.

But it is clear that the US is in favour of a resumption of talks between India and the US and will now work towards that goal.

The Obama administration has also acknowledged that though Indian and American interests converge in many areas, the two countries are not likely on every topic. ���This does not mean that the United States and India will agree on every topic, or how best to achieve those goals, but that���s okay because allies do not always agree on everything. We cannot afford not to work together,������ he added.

At the same time the US official said that India is playing a constructive role on the Afghanistan-Pakistan issue. ���India can play a constructive role in the Afghanistan-Pakistan issue and has already been doing so. India���s developmental contributions to Afghanistan have been substantial and can sow the seeds for a good investment and trade climate between the two countries as Afghanistan develops,������ he said.