U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said late on Monday that he had addressed having a responsible engagement with India with his Pakistani counterpart.
Blinken made his remarks after India’s defence and foreign ministries protested the United States’ decision to give Pakistan’s fleet of F-16 fighter planes a $450 million support package.
After meeting with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Blinken stated, “In our conversations today, we talked about the significance of managing a responsible relationship with India,” without going into further detail.
Ned Price, a spokesman for the US State Department, said that the US and India and Pakistan have separate relationships when asked about the F-16 purchase.
Price stated during a news conference, “The connection we have with India stands on its own; the relationship we have with Pakistan stands on its own.” We also want to take all precaution we can to ensure that these neighbours have as positive of relationships as they can.
Nuclear-armed Three wars between India and Pakistan have primarily been fought over Kashmir, a Himalayan area with a largely Muslim population.
They fought in the air in 2019, and after one of its own aircraft was knocked down, India claimed to have shot down a Pakistani F-16. The downing of one of Pakistan’s F-16s was disputed.
