External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday dismissed suggestions that Pakistan has any bearing on India’s ties with the United States, asserting that the relationship stands on its own merit and is not defined by third countries.
Addressing a press conference in Washington, Jaishankar said, “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,” Jaishankar told reporters.
“Big relationships are not forged in terms of third countries and where they fit,” he emphasised, responding to a question on whether Pakistan’s role has changed India-US ties.
“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 closer relationship that is actually driving it,” he said.
Jaishankar underlined that India’s growing global stature demands greater self-assurance when engaging 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,” he said. “We must have that confidence.”
The foreign minister said that ties with the US have progressed on substantive issues that bring mutual benefit. “It’s about trade. It is about investment. It is about technology. It is about mobility. It is about energy,” he said.
On former US President Donald Trump’s claim that he brokered the ceasefire between India and Pakistan after Operation Sindoor, Jaishankar said: “The record of what happened was very clear.”
“The ceasefire was something that was negotiated between the DGMOs” — Directors General of Military Operations Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai of India and Major General Kashif Abdullah of Pakistan — “I’d leave it at that,” he said.
Jaishankar is in Washington for the Quad Ministerial meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Foreign Ministers of Australia and Japan. The Quad Ministers condemned the Pahalgam massacre carried out by The Resistance Front, linked to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba.
On the sidelines, Jaishankar held separate meetings with Secretary Rubio, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
“We essentially did a stock-taking of the last six months. And, you know, what do we do to go, a look ahead,” Jaishankar said on his talks with Rubio. “This included a discussion on trade and investment, on technology, on defence and security, on energy and on mobility.”
Defence and energy ties warranted dedicated meetings with Hegseth and Wright, the Minister added.
IANS
