Washington, Jan 22: US Senator John Kerry, Chairman of the powerful Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said that India and Pakistan are engaged in "old fashioned" confrontation.
Kerry, who recently visited India, Pakistan and Afghanistan is expected to play a key role in shaping the foreign policy of the new administration made this observation on the floor of the Senate.
He made these remarks during the Senate debate related to the confirmation of Hillary Clinton as the Secretary of State to the US President Barack Obama.
"India and Pakistan are still engaged in literally old fashioned, mostly cold war... confrontation," Kerry said.
"In fact, both sides know that the concept of war would be absurd," said the powerful Senator from Massachusetts.
"I was recently in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India," said Kerry, who was the Democratic Party Presidential nominee in 2004 and lost to George W Bush in his second term.
Kerry said the real threat to both the countries -- India and Pakistan -- comes internally from people who believe in religious extremism.
Bureau Report
