NEW DELHI: Reports of a $500-million Washington aid package to Pakistan and a period of intense border shelling in Kashmir have overshadowed the run-up to US Secretary of State John Kerry’s expected visit to South Asia in the next few days.
Kerry is due to attend an investment summit promoted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the weekend, and media reports say he will then travel to Islamabad.
President Barack Obama will make a second official trip to India later in the month, seeking to strengthen ties between the world’s two largest democracies.
Despite Modi and Obama’s well-publicised chemistry at talks in Washington last year, renewed friction between South Asia’s nuclear-armed neighbours is a reminder of underlying anger in New Delhi at US support for its arch-rival.
This may be a bit of a sobering moment for those who thought we might see a blooming of the relationship, said Harsh Pant, professor of international relations at King’s College London.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars since independence in 1947, and Washington’s financial support to Pakistan’s military and government is a constant irritant in New Delhi, where Kerry is widely seen as pro-Pakistan.
In Kashmir, thousands have fled their homes as fighting between India and Pakistan spread along a 200-km (124-mile) border stretch. At least 10 people have been killed since Dec. 31.
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