| Submit your comments on this article | ||
| Afghanistan/South Asia | ||
| India riled by US-Pakistan ties | ||
| 2004-03-21 | ||
India has expressed disappointment at a decision by the United States to upgrade its relations with India's neighbour and rival, Pakistan, without informing India in advance. A statement from the Foreign Ministry in Delhi said Washington's designation of Pakistan as a major non-Nato ally would have "significant implications for India/US relations". These are strong words from India, clearly rattled at Washington's decision to bestow this new status on Pakistan. The reaction is a sign of the ever sensitive relations the two sub-continental rivals have with each other and with the world's only super power. The new status will put Pakistan in the company of such key American allies as Israel, Japan and Jordan. It will give Islamabad access to US-owned military stockpiles on its territory and privileged rights to US military training. The announcement was hardly a surprise - America and Pakistan have enjoyed special ties since the 1950s - but the timing shocked India. The news came from the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, while visiting Islamabad on Thursday. Just a day earlier, he had left India. While here, Mr Powell said Indian/American ties, including military ones, were perhaps better than ever before. But Saturday's frosty statement said he had not shared with Delhi this new decision on Pakistan.
| ||
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #7 Our military aid to Pakistan has excluded technology that would improve their abilities vis-à-vis India. We have allowed Israel to supply AWACS equivalent technology to India. Now we have patted Pakistan on the head. India seems to be getting the better of the deal. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-3-21 8:55:51 PM |
| #6 Pakistan has something that India can never have geography, i.e. the border with Afghanistan. Which BTW means a stable AQ free Afghanistan is absolutely not in Pakistan's interest, because once that occurs Pakistan reverts from being part of the solution to being part of the problem. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2004-3-21 7:10:58 PM |
| #5 India should be a natural ally of the US, but has always embraced the other sides, and kept us at arms length, even opposing us in kneejerk fashion. This game of playing us off against first the Soviets, then the Chinese, is getting old, and doesn't help India at all. If the Islamists overrun Pak's leadership, India'll be calling us, not the Chinese |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-3-21 9:54:45 AM |
| #4 personally i think India would be best not to whine about this, they have close military ties with Russia for a start,get on fairly well with the US and thier only proper threat is China. Pervs position in Military terms is alot weaker then India.Perhaps India are just fishing for a response from America on more Military hardware or joint Indian/American exersises like the recent 'Cope India' joint exercise.who knows maybe thier just stating the fact they don't like cooperation between the America and Pak.Besides a few old block 15 F-16's arn't gonna pose a threat to india with late model flankers and mirage 2000's. |
| Posted by: Jon Shep U.K 2004-3-21 7:02:08 AM |
| #3 The Pakistani Army created the Taliban and used serving and retired special forces to coordinate the Talib's military conquest of Afghanistan. The Pak Army has been selling nuke technology to North Korea, Libya, Iran and others. The ISI has been running a proxy war against the Indians in Kashmir for the past decade, and give safe haven to wanted terrorists like Dawood Ibrahim. The Indians have been whining about all this for a decade, and then eventually, all their allegations turned out to be true, and yet somehow Pakistan is still a 'Frontline state in the war on terrorism'. I can understand why they would be pissed. |
| Posted by: Paul Moloney 2004-3-21 2:58:18 AM |
| #2 Besides, the US said nothing when the Indian leader sidled up to Hu Jintao and said (and I paraphrase) "when China and India stand together, the world will have to listen" - "the world" being Indian code for the US. The Indians are trying to play the US off against the other powers, giving the US as little as possible, while going for maximum advantage. The announcement on Pakistan is just the US's way of telling them that India's zero contribution to the relationship is not going to cut it. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2004-3-21 2:22:24 AM |
| #1 But India's been making nice with Israel lately. Ariel Sharon traveled to India several months ago to finalize the sale of several Phalcon early warning spy planes. According to Ha'aretz, the Times of India reported in January that the White House had made clear to Indian officials that it supported the sale by Israel to India of the Phalcon and Arrow anti-missile systems. "Seemingly overriding objections from the State Department, White House officials told their Indian counterparts that Washington did not oppose the transaction," the paper wrote. To me, this sounds like GWB & Co. are trying to keep the India - Pakistan scales balanced... |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2004-3-21 12:49:30 AM |