New Delhi, India (CNN) -- In another major sign of growing ties between India and the United States, President Barack Obama on Monday backed a permanent seat for India in the U.N. Security Council.
"In the years ahead, I look forward to a reformed U.N. Security Council that includes India as a permanent member," he said in an address to the Indian parliament.
The statement came as Obama made a wide-ranging address that envisioned closer economic and security ties between the United States and India, standing "shoulder to shoulder" with the world's largest democracy.
In a swift reaction, Pakistan said it is discounting the possibility of such a development. The Foreign Ministry said that "India's aspirations for recognition as a global power notwithstanding, there are reasons enough to discredit this proposed direction of the process of UNSC reforms".
It cites "India's conduct in relations with its neighbors and its continued flagrant violations of Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir," a disputed region that the nuclear rivals have fought about.
CNN
