Pakistan-US Alliance Fragile

US President George W. Bush’s visit to South Asia in March has underscored the increasingly divergent US approaches to Pakistan and India. While Bush expressed confidence in President Pervez Musharraf’s commitment to the ‘war on terror’, he rejected a nuclear deal with Pakistan similar to the one secured with India. Bush also suggested that Washington would push Musharraf, who came to power in a military coup seven years ago, to strengthen democratic institutions. Though Pakistan is a valued US ally, Washington does not see it as comparable to India as a democracy or a state willing to guard against nuclear proliferation.

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