Washington, Jan 24 (IANS): As President Barack Obama heads to India Saturday to be the first American president to be the chief guest at India's Republic Day an influential US daily asked him to do deal more forthrightly with Pakistan.

Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have both described their countries as natural partners, the influential New York Tines wrote.

“That may be true. But they cannot achieve a deep and strategic partnership until the United States deals more forthrightly with Pakistan, New Delhi's neighbour and nemesis,” it said.

“In other words, Washington must do more to address India's anxieties about Pakistan. But there is a conundrum. Washington should also not harm its delicate and distrustful relationship with Islamabad,” the Times said.

“Pakistan harbours jihadist groups that threaten and kill Americans. But it also sits astride the Middle East and Asia, boasts a large and young population, and enjoys deep friendships with China and Saudi Arabia,” the Times said.

“Of course, it would be a tough sell for Washington to persuade Pakistan that the economic benefits of trade with India would far outweigh any benefit possible from dwelling on Kashmir.”

Writing in Foreign Policy magazine, Neil Joeck, a Visiting Scholar at the Institute for International Studies at the University of California, Berkeley said “The decision to share the stage on Republic Day gives President Obama a chance to make this visit the centrepiece of a revived Asia policy and a worthy foreign policy legacy.”