WASHINGTON: For the first time in times, the United States emphasized its strategic cooperation with Pakistan, clarifying that Islamabad doesn’t need to strain its relations with China to maintain ties with Washington.
The US-Pakistan relationship came up for discussion at a State Department briefing on Wednesday autumn when an intelligencer appertained to a recent statement by Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi who criticized the BJP government in India for pushing Pakistan into the Chinese camp.
“ Does the State Department agree with Mr. Gandhi’s assessment?” the intelligencer asked.
The department’s prophet Ned Price, still, refused to get involved in an Indian administrative debate, saying “ I’ll leave it to the Pakistanis and China to speak to their relationship. I clearly would not plump those reflections.”
“ Why do you suppose Pakistan is working so nearly with China? Do you suppose they feel abandoned by the US?” the intelligencer asked again. This question, still, entered a comprehensive response from the US functionary.
“ We ’ve made the point each along that it isn’t a demand for any country around the world to choose between the United States and China,” Mr. Price said. “ It’s our intention to give choices to countries when it comes to what the relationship with the United States looks like.”
Read More: US, Pakistan engaged in positive dialogue: Moeed Yusuf
The US functionary explained that cooperation with the United States brings a series of advantages that China couldn’t offer.
“ Partnership may be the wrong term. The feathers of connections that China has sought to have around the world don’t ( include those) typical advantages” that the United States offered, he added.
Moving to the decades ’long relationship between Pakistan and the United States, Mr. Price said “ Pakistan is a strategic mate of the United States. We have an important relationship with the government in Islamabad, and it’s a relationship that we value across a number of fronts.”
Pakistan was a close US supporter during the cold war that began in the sixties and remained so till the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Pakistan played a crucial part in the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan and partnered with the United States in the war against terrorism as well.
The relationship estranged when Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was plant in Abbottabad and the Obama administration took him out without informing Pakistan. Their relationship has remained simulated since also, although bilateral consultations, indeed high- position visits by Pakistani autocrats to Washington, have continued.
In July 2019, Prime Minister Imran Khan made an “ functionary working” visit to Washington where he met the also chairman Donald Trump at the White House. He’d another meeting with Mr. Trump in New York during the UN General Assembly in September 2019.
Read More: US encourages Pakistan’s constructive role in settling the Afghan crisis
Since also, there has been no face-to- face meeting between the leaders of the two countries and the current US President Joe Biden is yet to make a courtesy call to the Pakistani high minister.
Despite these pressures, the relationship has continued, minus the fanfare of a peak. Pakistan extended full support to both the Trump and Biden administrations during their addresses with the Taliban and eased the evacuation of US help from Afghanistan after the Taliban captured Kabul in August last time.
In recent times, China has surfaced as the crucial factor in US foreign programs as Washington seeks to contain Beijing’s growing influence.
US policy makers see India as a crucial player in containing China’s influence and in their sweats to please India, they frequently ignore Pakistan’s interests, indeed on issues like Kashmir.
The United States, still, still recognises Kashmir as a disputed home and not as an integral part of India, as New Delhi solicitations.
Some recent developments — similar as India’s decision to hesitate from a UN Security Council vote on Ukraine and a bullet deal with Russia — supposedly have also softened the US station towards Pakistan.
