‘It is essential for the US to maintain contact and relations with Islamabad’: Why is Marco Rubio’s statement made in India under discussion?

Marco Rubio was asked about US-Pakistan relations during various interviews in Mumbai.

CNN News 18’s Rahul Joshi asked him that in 2025, as a senator, he had said that if Pakistan supported terrorism against India, he would introduce a bill to reduce US security assistance to Pakistan. The question was whether his position on the issue has changed now?

In response, Marco Rubio said, “We are against terrorism anywhere in the world and oppose individuals and countries that support terrorism. But now my role is not that of a senator but that of the Secretary of State. In this capacity, I have to run the foreign policy of the United States, which requires maintaining relations with different countries, even with countries with which we have differences on certain issues.”

He emphasized the importance of Pakistan and said that just as India maintains relations with Iran based on its national interests, it is also important for the United States to maintain relations with Pakistan. According to Marco Rubio, Washington sees relations with Pakistan in the context of reducing tensions in the region, preventing conflicts, and promoting stability.

Reacting to the US Secretary of State’s stance, renowned defense analyst Parveen Sahni wrote on social media that it is not possible for the Trump administration to ignore Pakistan. According to observers, in recent times, especially after Operation Sindoor, there has been an improvement in relations between Washington and Islamabad and an increase in American confidence in the Pakistani leadership.

Marco Rubio, in an interview with The Indian Express, also rejected the notion that America’s relationship with Pakistan is built at the expense of India’s interests. He said that the US-India relationship is strong and important in its own right, while engagement with Pakistan is part of a broader diplomatic strategy to maintain stability in the region and reduce potential conflicts.

In the interview, when asked whether some quarters in India recall the current US policy to the Nixon-Kissinger era, when Washington was considered close to Pakistan’s military rulers, he said: