The US “would not endorse” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks alleging that the foreign policy decisions of the BJP-led government had brought China and Pakistan together against India, a top American diplomat has said.
“I will leave it to the Pakistanis and the PRC (the People’s Republic of China) to speak to their relationship. I certainly would not — would not endorse those remarks,” state department spokesperson Ned Price said on Wednesday in response to a question on Rahul’s comments in the Lok Sabha.
Relations between the US and China are at an all-time low. Price described Pakistan, which has an all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with China, as a “strategic partner” of the US and said: “We have an important relationship with the government in Islamabad, and it’s a relationship that we value across several fronts.”
Pakistan-US ties are on an uneven keel, as despite efforts, President Joe Biden has not made direct contact with Prime Minister Khan, irking the Pakistan government.
Speaking first from the Opposition side in the Lok Sabha during the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address on Wednesday, Rahul said while the strategic goal of India has been to keep China and Pakistan apart, the government was doing the opposite.