Ever since President Barack Obama announced on 21 December that John Kerry would succeed Hillary Clinton as the new US Secretary of State, much has been written in the Indian sub-continental press that the 69-year-old five-time Senator from Massachusetts has a tilt towards Pakistan and won’t be India’s friend. One reason given to “prove” this argument is that Pakistan was quick to hail Kerry’s appointment while India has been eloquent in its silence. The question is: why is there so much worry about whether Kerry is pro-Pakistan or anti-India?

Before we come to a nuanced analysis of the issue, let us first flag the points over which the Indian and Pakistani commentators have labelled Kerry as a friend of Pakistan rather than India’s.