Washington, Nov 19 (IANS) The United States has sought to assure its key ally Pakistan that its growing strategic relationship with India on a wide range of areas including defence posed no threat to Islamabad.
“We value our partnership with Pakistan and with India,” US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Robert Blake said Wednesday ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s state visit to Washington next week.

Blake said US sees an important role for India at the global level and will work to expand cooperation in the fields of economic development, nuclear non-proliferation, climate change and trade issues, investment, education, science and technology and anti-terrorism.

But “I don’t think Islamabad should be threatened by the steps we are taking with India,” he said when asked how Pakistan should view the Indian leader’s visit.

Blake remarked that in the beginning of the Obama administration it was said that the US was focusing on Pakistan and Afghanistan to the exclusion of India but now it is forging ties with New Delhi as well.

“There was a good reason for that in part because Pakistan and Afghanistan are extremely important and also because the Indian government had not yet had its elections.”

In terms of US defence deals with India - said to be around $ 10 billion - he stated, these are being worked out and are longer-term sales that are still in the works.

Asked about action taken by Pakistan against the perpetrators of the Nov 26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, Blake suggested “Pakistan has made some progress” in regard to investigation but expected more cooperation from Islamabad in prosecuting the accused militants.