Pakistan is out, India is in: US Senator

The United States' ties with Pakistan have "cooled off" considerably over the years and Washington considers India as a "future ally" in the region, a US Senator said in New Delhi on Friday.

India and United States have a lot in common and both countries, the largest and the oldest democracies, can benefit a lot from cooperating with each other, Democratic US Senator of Maryland John A Giannetti said.

"India has the resources and workforce and we have the expertise and know-how. We can cooperate on several fields, especially in areas line biotech, nanotech and agritech. There can be cross-cultural and cross-economic pollination," he said.

The proposed US civilian nuclear deal with India is a "barometer" of the warming relations between the two countries, he said.

Complete coverage: The Indo-US nuclear tango

The United States considers India as a "future ally with over a billion people" and it also has a huge market, which offers tremendous opportunity to American companies, he added.

Asked whether his party would continue to pursue good relations with India if it comes to power, he said, "Any US leader would be foolish if he declines to extend good ties with India."

He also sought to bury the controversy over outsourcing to India, saying the argument against BPO was "near-sighted." About China, another economic powerhouse in the region, he said India has the resources to sustain the boom whereas Beijing is not even a democracy. "India and China are like hare and tortoise," he added.