Rahul Gandhi's speech in the Lok Sabha on the policies of the Narendra Modi government on Wednesday has set off a political slanging match. Rahul Gandhi's accusation that the policies of Modi had brought together China and Pakistan has led to a furious response from the BJP.
The US State Department was also asked about its reaction to the allegation by Rahul that the Modi government’s policies had led to China and Pakistan strengthening ties. US State Department spokesperson Ned Price was quoted by The Hindu as saying, “I will leave it to the Pakistanis and the PRC to speak to their relationship. I certainly would not—would not endorse those remarks.”
The US has been mostly supportive of India's stand with respect to the ongoing standoff in Ladakh with China. However, the US has been more nuanced on its ties with Pakistan. Price was quoted by The Indian Express as saying “Pakistan is a strategic partner of the United States. We have an important relationship with the government in Islamabad, and it’s a relationship that we value across a number of fronts.”
“We've made the point all along that it is not a requirement for any country around the world to choose between the United States and China. It is our intention to provide choices to countries when it comes to what the relationship with the United States looks like. And we think the partnership with the United States conveys a series of advantages that countries typically would not find when it comes to the sorts of partnerships that—partnerships may be the wrong term—the sorts of relationships that the PRC has sought to have around the world,” Price was quoted as saying by NDTV.
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External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar declared Rahul needed history lessons. He tweeted on Wednesday “Rahul Gandhi alleged in Lok Sabha that it is this Government which brought Pakistan and China together. Perhaps, some history lessons are in order:-In 1963, Pakistan illegally handed over the Shaksgam valley to China.-China built the Karakoram highway through PoK in the 1970s.-From the 1970s, the two countries also had close nuclear collaboration. -In 2013, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor started. So, ask yourself: were China and Pakistan distant then?”
