Engaging Pakistan is in the interest of India and the US, though both nations have some concerns, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake said.
“I think the state secretary and many others have repeatedly reaffirmed that it’s in our interest to engage Pakistan, to help the country with many of its challenges,” Blake claimed.
Blake, who accompanied the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on a visit to India this week, said India and the United States have their own reservations with regards to Pakistan.
“Both of us obviously have concerns. You know very well what India’s concerns are. India wants to be sure that there is progress in the trials of the Mumbai suspects,” he said.
“They want to be sure that the camps on the Pakistani side of the border are dismantled; and more broadly, that Pakistan does not allow the various terrorist groups that are operating inside Pakistan to use Pakistani territory as a platform from which to attack India, or other countries, like the United States. We have very similar interests,” Blake said.
“In terms of our own dialogue, we’ve had some progress since the Abottabad raid and we’ve made a lot of other suggestions about areas where we think more progress is needed,” Blake said.
Refraining to respond to questions on the arrest of Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai, who is accused of working for the ISI, Blake said the matter is subjudiced.
“You will have to address all those questions to the Department of Justice, because they’re the ones that have the lead on this,” he said responding to questions on this issue.
“I can’t speak for Dr Fai. I can only speak to the facts of the case. And the facts are that the Department of Justice has announced charges against two individuals, one of whom is Dr Fai, for their participation in a long-term conspiracy to hide that they were working for the government of Pakistan,” he said.
“Under American law, it is illegal for foreign individuals to make campaign contributions to people in federal office. The people that are working on behalf of foreign governments are also under obligation to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Dr Fai didn’t do that either, so that’s why he’s been arrested,” Blake said.
