T HE matter-of-fact statement by United States Army General Michael Kurilla that America has to have a relationship with Pakistan and with India needs to be seen in total pragmatism. It is a geopolitical reality reflecting the need of every country to have bilateral relations with some countries while pursuing the multi-alignment policy. The US General was forthright in explaining the necessity of having a relationship with Pakistan to further its mission against the ISIS Khorasan operating in Afghanistan. And the fact is, Pakistan has remained a key figure in Intelligence gathering on ISIS K terrorists helping American operations against the extremists. Many such necessities, including economic and strategic considerations, drive relationships between countries without a binary switch, as General Kurilla told in his testimony before the US House Armed Services Committee. America looks at the merits of the relationship for the positives it carries for its own agenda against terrorist groups. The US has remained on the forefront of fighting the Islamic State extremists in various parts of the world. The re-emergence of ISIS in the Khorasan province of Afghanistan has rung alarm bells in Washington. As a counter to the problem, the US is once again using Pakistan as an ally in pursuing its operations. Being strategically placed in the Central Asian region with direct access and influence in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s utility was never lost on the US.

 

It is a historic give-and-take relationship, from the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 till the hammered out peace deal between the Afghanistan government and the Taliban a few years ago. The US has always accommodated Pakistan on the table, pardoning its sins while leveraging its position in the region to further own interests. With such history and continued unrest in the region, the US suddenly snapping ties with Pakistan despite knowing its complicity in launching terror attacks on India is impossible. The General has stated the truth in as many words for the world to understand. For India, the stark reality of the US help to Pakistan is not new. New Delhi has experienced it since India’s independence. Successive dispensations in Washington have hyphenated India and Pakistan despite the chasm in policies, culture and growth of the two neighbours. It is a fact that India has to live with, for, the US balancing act is set to continue as long as Pakistan runs its errands in the region.

 

It is a naked truth that Pakistan’s civil leadership has accepted in public during Operation Sindoor. India has been doing the right thing in providing clinching evidence of Pakistan’s involvement in repeated terror attacks, including the April 22 Pahalgam killing of 26 Hindu tourists. It is necessary to keep the pressure on Islamabad with such documents and dossiers. The effect of such diplomatic moves has to be gauged from the guarded response by Washington while discussing Pakistan and its policy to breed terror. One thing US General Kurilla’s statement has done is provide total clarity on the US stand vis-a-vis India and Pakistan.

 

That the US would not make a binary switch, where it would keep relations with either Islamabad or New Delhi, is a given. It needs to be taken on its face value, for, it is a bare reality of international relations. The US is guarding (or creating) its own interests by humouring Pakistan, which applies to every country. India has already accepted this reality which is reflected in its stance during the Russia-Ukraine war. Despite the American pressure on snapping relations with Moscow, New Delhi went ahead in purchase of Russian oil and also defence equipment. It was a decision taken in the interest of India’s needs and sovereignty. The same principle applies to all in international relations between nations. There are simply no binaries.