WASHINGTON: Any mention of Kashmir by US President Barack Obama during his trip to India can be potentially explosive, a top American strategic expert has said, adding that Pakistan would dominate the topics discussed in Obama’s talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Noting in his latest comment that Obama’s visit would take place against the backdrop of the revival of Kashmir question, Bruce Riedel of Brookings Institute said Pakistan would move to capitalise on the unrest.
“The intifada that exploded this summer in Kashmir cannot be ignored by the president during the visit but any comments on it will be potentially explosive,” said Riedel, a former CIA official, who is a known American expert on South Asian affairs.
He said Obama and Singh needed to cooperate to help Pakistan solve its jihadist nightmare. “It cannot be resolved by outsiders, nor can it be contained and isolated from the outside,” he said.
Senior Indian officials say New Delhi and Washington now share a common diagnosis of the problems, but neither has developed a strategy that promises success.
“The third parties also involved, particularly Pakistan’s ally China, will also figure extensively in the private talks. Obama is keen to find ways to use regional diplomacy to strengthen Pakistan, and Beijing must be a player in that process,” Riedel said.
