Diplomatic Tactics: US-Pakistan and US-India Relations Explored

Vikas Swarup, former diplomat, outlines the tactical, short-term nature of US-Pakistan relations driven by financial interests and contrasts it with the strategic partnership the US has with India. Amid rising trade tensions between New Delhi and Washington, Swarup maintains that India-US ties remain fundamentally strong.

Vikas Swarup, a former diplomat and author, has highlighted the transactional nature of the United States' current relationship with Pakistan, attributing it largely to financial interests. In contrast, he emphasized that US-India ties remain strategic and less transactional. Swarup described the US-Pakistan dynamics as a temporary 'storm' rather than a lasting rupture.

This perspective comes as State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce asserted that the US maintains unchanged relationships with both nations. Meanwhile, provocative remarks by Pakistan Army chief Gen Asim Munir on the potential use of nuclear weapons have intensified tensions.

Swarup also suggested that Pakistan may have used intermediaries to gain favor with the US President, possibly influencing a softer stance from Washington. He noted Pakistan's attempts to position itself as the 'Crypto King' of South Asia through associations with World Liberty Financial, entities linked to Trump's and Witkoff's families. Furthermore, Swarup sees the Trump administration's tariffs as pressure tactics, urging India to maintain its strategic autonomy amidst trade disagreements.

(With inputs from agencies.)