Shed anti-India bias, 2 congressmen urge US

Two Democratic Congressmen have urged the Clinton administration to abandon the pro-Pakistan tilt in the United States foreign policy, appreciating the importance of India as a major player in South Asia in the post-Cold War era.

Speaking at a conference of Indian professionals in Washington on Friday, Frank Pallone and Sherrod Brown said the United States should cultivate India for political, economic, and strategic reasons and make it an ally in the region.

The two Congressmen, who were founder-members of the Congressional Caucus on India, which has the backing of about 80 law-makers, said Indian democracy was much more solid than that of any other country in South Asia.

''We should rely more on India for trade and security reasons,'' Pallone added.

They were also critical of the frequent India-bashing in the US Congress. This was more due to some Congressmen's ignorance about India and its economic and trade potential, they added.

They said there was a need to educate them about India and its democratic traditions. The caucus had undertaken this job in right earnest. It wanted more and more law-makers to visit India and see things for themselves, they added.

Pallone regretted that the US continued to back Pakistan with economic and military aid and, to drive his point home, he cited an amendment, recently approved by the Senate which opened the doors for military training of Pakistani officers in the US and provision of funding facility for American businessmen operating in Pakistan.

He promised to oppose this measure in the House-Senate conference where it would be discussed before sending to President Bill Clinton for approval.

Pallone and Brown said they were also trying to lobby support among law-makers against the proposed Dan Burton amendment which sought to reduce US development assistance to India in fiscal 1998. They were confident that it would be defeated in the House as had happened last year.

Brown said the time had come for the US to shed its bias against India and establish better working relations with New Delhi. In fact, the US should treat India with the respect it had reserved for China, he added.

UNI