New Delhi: The United States considers its relationships with India and Pakistan as two “completely separate” policy forums and one is not dependent on the other, US Charge d’Affaires Ambassador Elizabeth Jones said on Friday.
In an interaction with a group of journalists, the senior-most American diplomat in India also said the recently announced US financial package was for the maintenance of Pakistan’s F-16 fighter jets and it was not for upgrade of the fleet.
“The United States looks at our relationship with India and the relationship with Pakistan as two completely separate policy forums and one is not dependent on the other or related to the other,” Jones said.
On the relationship between India and Pakistan, she said it is not for the US to comment on.
“The issue that you asked about in terms of the relationship between Pakistan and India, that is something not for the US to comment on,” she said, replying to a question.
Asked about terrorism emanating from Pakistan, Jones said, “I think the best way to address that is to say that the international community has shared concerns about terrorism anywhere as well as any other kinds of security threats.”
To a separate question on the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in which American citizens were also among those killed, Jones said the US was “horrified” by the attack.
“The US government has spent a lot of time with the governments of India and Pakistan in discussing the appropriate consequences of this,” she said.
Jones said the international community is focusing on ways to shut down financial support for terrorist organisations. PTI

Press Trust of India