During his recent visit to India, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted that Washington’s relations with Pakistan do not come at the expense of its ties with India. This was in response to a question about whether the Trump administration has overturned 25 years of consistent bipartisan outreach to New Delhi by drawing closer to Pakistan, particularly its powerful army chief, Asim Munir. In response, Rubio asserted:

Pakistan is a country we have a relationship with, and we need to have a relationship with. And, in some ways, it could be a positive thing if we could help discourage actions that could potentially lead to conflict, if we could use our influence in ways that are positive.[i]

Pakistan is a country we have a relationship with, and we need to have a relationship with. And, in some ways, it could be a positive thing if we could help discourage actions that could potentially lead to conflict, if we could use our influence in ways that are positive.[i]

Rubio rejected the interviewer’s proposition that the present context is a reminder of the Nixon era’s partisanship towards Pakistan, arguing that those were mostly Cold War-driven.[ii]

Interestingly, Rubio made almost identical remarks during his May 2026 visit to New Delhi. Without naming Pakistan, the Secretary of State noted that “ties with other countries did not come at the expense of India”.[iii] Rubio’s remarks also echo earlier, more recent, US statements following the resumption of military aid to Pakistan in the form of an F-16 sustainment package worth US$ 450 million. This disbursal followed a hiatus after the first Trump administration suspended military aid to Pakistan in 2018.[iv]

In September 2022, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price noted:

We don’t view our relationship with Pakistan, and on the other hand, we don’t view our relationship with India as in relation to one another. These are both partners of ours with different points of emphasis in each and both relationships stand on (its) own.[v]

We don’t view our relationship with Pakistan, and on the other hand, we don’t view our relationship with India as in relation to one another. These are both partners of ours with different points of emphasis in each and both relationships stand on (its) own.[v]

This was soon after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, reacting to the restoration of military aid, asked:

Very honestly, it’s a relationship that has neither ended up serving Pakistan well nor serving the American interests. So, it is really for the United States today to reflect on what the merits of this relationship are and what they get by it.[vi]

Very honestly, it’s a relationship that has neither ended up serving Pakistan well nor serving the American interests. So, it is really........

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