Washington, July 18: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Saturday sought to assuage Pakistan’s fears that the US desire for India to play a leading role in the region would translate into a subservient role for Islamabad.
“Well, that is certainly not at all what is intended,” she said in an interview with the Dawn Television. “I think that what we see now in the region is a very courageous, sustained effort by Pakistan against the internal miscreants.”
Noting that “India has had steady growth. They’ve had a very clear set of goals that they’ve been able to pursue because they are a largely stable and internally secure country now”, Clinton said: “That’s what I want to see for Pakistan.
“Well, I’m going to raise everything that we believe is of significance with the Indian government. I believe that it is in India’s interest for Pakistan to be stable, democratic, free of terrorism,” Clinton said when the interviewer suggested that the US no longer saw Kashmir as an issue that needs to be resolved.
“I think that the disputes between India and Pakistan, which are historical and long-standing, should be looked at with fresh eyes, and there should be an effort to build some mutual trust,” she said.
“And from what I hear, it was a very good meeting between Prime Minister (Manmohan) Singh and Prime Minister (Yousuf Raza) Gilani.”
“The US stands ready to support the steps that India and Pakistan may take together, but we know that the only way these matters can be finally resolved is between the two countries, but it’s not just the government, but the people,” Clinton said.
“And so we will encourage that, but we know that it has to be left to Pakistan and India for there to be any resolution,” she said according to the transcript of the interview released by the State Department.
Asked if that meant “Kashmir is still seen as a dispute that needs to be resolved?” Clinton said: “Well, it certainly should be on the agenda of discussion between India and Pakistan.”
Asked if she was going to India with an initiative for restarting India-Pakistan talks, Clinton said: “Well, I’m going with the hope that has been ignited in the last weeks that India and Pakistan will pursue a dialogue again.”
Manmohan Singh’s meetings with Gilani and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari suggest “that there is an interest and a seriousness on the part of both governments in trying to work toward resolution of some of the longstanding differences,” she said.
Pakistan’s “potential for economic growth and for influence in the region is, in my view, as great as any country’s,” Clinton said.
“But there has to be a commitment to trying to focus on the internal developments of Pakistan, and that requires dealing with and trying to resolve some of the outstanding concerns…with India.
—IANS