Days after a top American official said the partnership between the US and India mattered more than ties with Pakistan, Washington on Thursday said it did not rank one country as more or less important than another.
"Our relationships with each state are based on US national interests in relation to that state. The US-Pakistan relationship is a long-term, broad-based partnership based on factors such as strong trade and investment, security interests, and long-standing cultural and educational ties," the US Embassy said in a statement on Thursday.
The US, the statement said, does not rank one country as more or less important than another in any framework of strategic interests.
The statement said: "It is in the US national interest to continue developing its cooperation with Pakistan as a moderate, successful, modern nation that, through its commitment to democratic principles and shared values, represents a reliable partner in the community of nations."
The statement came in the wake of comments by US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for South Asia James Clad, who had said the broad-based partnership between America and India is critical and more important as compared to Pakistan.
"The US-India strategic potential is very, very profound," said Clad.
"India simply must, as a long term consideration, matter more for us than Pakistan," he was quoted as saying in the American Forces Press Services. "India is seen as potentially a power with global reach."
Clad's comments were widely reported in the Pakistani media.