Trump wants India’s help in building a safe Afghanistan

US President Donald Trump has declared that he sees a “critical” role for India in his country’s South Asia strategy for fighting terrorism and building up a safe Afghanistan.

With India “we are committed to pursuing our shared objectives for peace and security in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region,” he said on Monday outlining his new strategy for Afghanistan and the region.

Speaking to 2,000 US military personnel at Fort Myer, near Washington, he also warned that Islamabad’s continued backing for terrorists could lead to a clash with India.

Trump’s approach to India outlined in the speech was in stark contrast to the stern warning he delivered to Pakistan that “it has much to lose by continuing to harbour criminals and terrorists.”

A “critical part of the South Asia strategy for America is to further develop its strategic partnership with India — the world’s largest democracy and a key security and economic partner of the US,” he said.

In Afghanistan, he said he wanted India’s help, but at the same time he made it appear a transactional issue by referring to India’s trade with the US making it sound like a quid pro quo for helping with Afghanistan. “We appreciate India’s important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the US,” he said.—IANS