The United States has hoped that its strengthening of relations with both India and Pakistan would provide the two neighbours an opportunity to explore new ways to bring stability in South Asia region.
However, it said it was not not possible now to speculate about future Indo-Pak relations though the two countries were in the US-led coalition against global terrorism. "Our improved relations with these two South Asian rivals may now present an opportunity for both countries to explore new ways of thinking about stability on the sub-continent," Secretary of State Colin Powell wrote in the "Electronic Journal" of the State Department. He emphasised that global terrorism posed a multidimensional threat and "this will be a long, hard campaign, measured in years and fought on many fronts. For such an effort, our coalition will have the flexibility to evolve." Asked if India and Pakistan are closer to settling the Kashmir problem when they are in the same coalition and would work within Afghanistan after the military aspect is over, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said "I am not sure I would draw these conclusions at this point". Bureau Report