Blinken to take up HR, Afghanistan with Indian leadership
July 25, 2021
ISLAMABAD: The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is reaching New Delhi on Tuesday at the first high-level visit by the new Biden administration for extensive talks with the Modi government on mutual interest despite a horrifying spike of coronavirus in the host country. Earlier, the British Prime Minister called off his visit to India due to the virus while no other foreign dignitary has ventured in the India capital in the last more than one year. Highly placed diplomatic sources told The News on Saturday that the US has de-hyphenated its relations with Pakistan and India long ago. For this reason, Blinken didn’t include Islamabad as part of this sojourn. Pakistan’s leadership felicitated Joe Biden on his election forthwith but the latter didn’t show courtesy to respond by customary return phone call for thanking and beginning afresh. Interestingly Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi spoke to his US counterpart early this month, who did hint him on the upcoming visit to India but without offering any clues to visiting Islamabad. However, a high level delegation will be visiting Washington from Pakistan on an important mission this week but the US Secretary of State would not lead that.