Washington, DC: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar firmly rejected the notion that Pakistan influences India’s relationship with the United States, stating Wednesday that the bilateral partnership stands independently on its own merits.
Addressing reporters in Washington, Jaishankar urged moving beyond defining the India-US dynamic through the lens of third countries. “I would really urge you to get over the idea that we need to define ourselves regarding third countries in order to forge ahead in ties with Washington,” he stated. Emphasizing this point, he added, “Big relationships are not forged in terms of third countries and where they fit,” responding directly to a question about Pakistan’s role.
“The central factor in the relationship between India and the US is India and the US. It is our complementarity. In many ways, it is the benefits that we get from a closer relationship that is actually driving it,” Jaishankar explained.
Highlighting India’s growing global stature, the Minister asserted the need for greater confidence in engagements with major partners. “We are a big country. We are among the top five economies of the world. We are the most populous country in the world. Our influence is growing. We must have that confidence,” he declared.
Jaishankar detailed that progress in US ties stems from substantive, mutually beneficial issues: “It’s about trade. It is about investment. It is about technology. It is about mobility. It is about energy.”
When questioned about former US President Donald Trump’s claim of brokering an India-Pakistan ceasefire after the Balakot operation, Jaishankar pointedly referenced the official record. “The ceasefire was something that was negotiated between the DGMOs,” he stated, referring to the Directors General of Military Operations of India (Lt. Gen. Rajiv Ghai) and Pakistan (Maj. Gen. Kashif Abdullah), concluding, “I’d leave it at that.”
Jaishankar is in Washington for the Quad Ministerial meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the Foreign Ministers of Australia and Japan. The Quad Ministers jointly condemned the recent Pahalgam massacre attributed to The Resistance Front, linked to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba.
On the sidelines, Jaishankar held separate meetings with Secretary Blinken, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. Describing talks with Blinken as a “stock-taking” of the last six months and a look ahead, Jaishankar confirmed discussions covered “trade and investment, on technology, on defence and security, on energy and on mobility.” He noted that defence and energy matters warranted dedicated meetings with Secretaries Austin and Granholm.