Washington: The situation on the Indo-Pak border has "improved" but suspicions continue to run deeper between the two countries, believes US Senator John Kerry, who is a key foreign policy aide to President Barack Obama.
"It (situation along the Indo-Pak border) has improved in the last few months (but) the tensions over Mumbai have been deep. And the suspicions run even deeper," Kerry told PBS news channel.
He was responding to a question if India was helping the Obama administration in its efforts in Pakistan, which is fighting Taliban and al-Qaeda militants in its northwest region bordering Afghanistan.
Kerry said the tension between India and Pakistan is not just related to the Mumbai terror attacks. "These are people who've gone to war three times and who have this sort of quiet war on the front in Kashmir constantly going on," he said.
"So I think that it is very, very important for us to help change that equation. I think there are things we can do and some things we should pay more attention to," Kerry said.
He said the Pakistanis believe that the Indian influence in Afghanistan is too great and their country is being encircled.
"There are even people who have believed that we have a plot to somehow secure their nuclear weapons. I mean the level of mistrust and even paranoia in the region is extraordinary. It's one of the things we have to work through," Kerry said.
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