look news india
South Asia’s balance of power once again seems to be changing rapidly on the stage of global diplomacy. There is tremendous panic and unrest in Islamabad due to the top priority being given to India by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and on the contrary, Pakistan is being completely ignored. This historic change in Washington’s foreign policy has made it clear that America no longer looks at South Asia through only one lens, but has completely turned its strategic partnership and priorities towards India.
Since assuming the post of US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio has been continuously visiting India and conducting serious talks with New Delhi on trade, energy, defense and Quad strategic alliances. On the other hand, the neighboring country Pakistan has not been able to find a place even once in his itinerary, which has created deep concern among the strategists and politicians of Pakistan.
There was a time when whenever any top official of Washington went on a trip to South Asia, he used to visit Islamabad along with New Delhi under the ‘hyphenated policy’. But now America has abandoned this old policy. The entire focus of the US administration is currently focused on balancing China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region, pursuing technological partnerships and finalizing bilateral trade agreements.
On all these strategic parameters, India has emerged as America’s most natural and important partner as a strong, stable and the world’s fastest growing large economy. On the contrary, Pakistan, surrounded by political instability, economic crisis and terrorism, has become extremely limited in its relevance in the diplomatic circles of Washington. Marco Rubio’s frequent visits to India and not even taking a stance towards Pakistan is the biggest proof of this diplomatic reality.
The scope of the US Secretary of State’s visits to India has not been limited only to the capital New Delhi, rather he is giving a new dimension to strategic talks by reaching the economic and industrial centers of India. In Mumbai, Foreign Minister S. From high-level bilateral meetings with Jaishankar to a visit to the huge refining complex in Jamnagar, Gujarat and meetings with Indian industrialists, it shows how serious the US is about energy security and private investment with India.
When Pakistani media and Foreign Ministry officials saw that the US Secretary of State was discussing defense and trade deals in India, while America was not paying any attention towards Islamabad, there were openly sharp reactions in the media and corridors there. Pakistani analysts are calling this the biggest example of American inclination towards India and ignoring Pakistan in American foreign policy.
The main agenda of Marco Rubio’s visit to India has been to finalize the long-pending trade deal between the two countries, strengthening Quad cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and improving the global supply chain. The US administration understands very well that no Asia-Pacific strategy can succeed by ignoring India in the geopolitics of the 21st century.
Furthermore, India’s growing diplomatic credibility on global forums has led Washington to respect India’s energy needs and its independent foreign policy. Foreign Minister S. Marco Rubio’s frequent meetings with Jaishankar prove that a strong and continuous system of dialogue has been established at the top level to resolve differences between the two countries and take the strategic partnership to the next level.
Diplomatic experts believe that this stance of the US Secretary of State is a clear indication that America no longer weighs India and Pakistan on the same scale in South Asia. This situation is extremely uncomfortable for Pakistan, because it has been dependent on American military and economic aid for decades. But now democracy, economic strength and global stability have become major topics in Washington’s priorities, where India’s role is central.
Islamabad’s diplomatic isolation has deepened due to Marco Rubio’s frequent visits to India and sidelining of Pakistan. In the future, it will be interesting to see what changes Pakistan brings in its foreign policy amidst this changing global power balance, but for now, the deepening relations between America and India are writing a new story for South Asia.