Daily Times

The United States has responded to India’s objections to Washington’s move to provide Pakistan $450 million for refurbishing the country’s F-16 fighters fleet to deal with terrorist threats, saying both South Asian nations are “our partners.” “We don’t view our relationship with Pakistan, and on the other hand, we don’t view our relationship with India as in relation to one another,” State Department Spokesman Ned Price told his daily press briefing on Monday. “These are both partners of ours with different points of emphasis in each,” he said, amid warming US-Pakistan relations. In response to a question, Price said, “We also want to do everything we can to see to it that these neighbours have relations with one another that are as constructive as can be possible. So that’s another point of emphasis.” Asked whether Pakistan was aiding the Taliban, the spokesperson said it was “not in Pakistan’s interest to see instability and violence in Afghanistan”. “The support for the people of Afghanistan is something we discuss regularly with our Pakistani partners; our efforts to improve the lives and livelihoods and humanitarian conditions of the Afghan people, and to see to it that the Taliban live up to the commitments that they have made,” he said.