Pakistan's Situation a Result of its Support to Extremism: VK Singh

New Delhi: VK Singh, Mos in the Ministry of External Affairs, on Thursday said that India wanted to have good relations with Pakistan, but it came with riders.

“India wants to have good relations with Pakistan as long as they don’t throw bombs at us or instigate people against India. The onus is on Pakistan,” he explained, speaking at the Raisina Dialogue in the national capital on Thursday.

He further added that what Pakistan was facing right now was a direct result of its support to extremism.

“The more they support extremism, more the dangers of going down. One who rides the tiger must know that the tiger will eat that person. Pakistan is facing the results of extremism,” Singh said.

His statement comes a day after external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said that terrorism was the mother of all disruptions and that using terror as an instrument of state policy would be futile.

Commenting on United States’ relationship with Pakistan, Singh said that the US had finally realised something was wrong and that course correction was taking place.

“What we see now is a new government in the US. New initiative has started in US and we are hopeful. They have realised that terror sanctuaries exist in Pakistan and that they are on their way to course correction. Let’s see how various things that have been spelt out come on ground,” he said.

On China’s relationship with Pakistan, the minister said that despite the type of economic power that China yields today and despite the assistance that they are trying to give to Pakistan, it still will not be enough to counter the US cuts to Pakistan.

“The type of dependence that Pakistan has on the US far surpasses what China can do. It is an influence that has been built over a very long period of time. You don’t suddenly break the umbilical chord. If there is pressure from the US, I’m sure it will bear results,” he said.

He also reiterated India’s stand on Afghanistan and said that the country’s interest “lies in a stable Afghanistan and in the stability of its economy.”