- Policy of imbalance in South Asia fraught with serious perils: Ambassador Khan
Terming Pak-US ties as “a relationship of the future generations”, Ambassador Masood Khan has said that after a brief period of uncertainty, the two states were successfully recalibrating and rejuvenating their relations in wake of changing circumstances. “The results in a short span of time are impressive,” he said.
Referring to frequent high-level contacts between Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Pak-US dialogues on health, energy, climate change, counter-narcotics, counterterrorism and defence and the recently held Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Ministerial Council meeting, the Ambassador said that these processes were producing results and defining pathways for future growth. “They are also creating a structure for an overarching, multi-dimensional dialogue”, he continued.
Addressing a conference on “The Future of Pakistan-US relations” at renowned US thin-tank Wilson Centre, the Ambassador highlighted confluence of shared values and ideas that bind the people of Pakistan and the United States and brought them into alliances for advancing shared strategic purposes including rolling back aggression in Afghanistan and combating the scourge of terrorism.
The Ambassador said that Pakistan’s Foreign Minister would be attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Conference in Goa in early May. “The context is multilateral, not bilateral. Let’s hope that this decision goes down well to bolster diplomacy,” he continued.
He said that we value the US encouragement to India and Pakistan to engage. “But beyond that, the US could act as a catalyst to help resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute which has kept the region on the brink of war.”
Cautioning about serious perils of policy of imbalance in South Asia, Ambassador Khan also urged US to “revive its role on strategic stability in South Asia”. “It is important that the US restores – for Pakistan – Foreign Military Financing and Foreign Military Sales, suspended by the previous Administration,” he said.
He said that Pakistan seeks to forge strong ties with the US and make them stronger. We do not believe our relations with China should affect them in any way. “We earnestly hope that the US, the shining city upon a hill, and China, an emerging power, using their statesmanship, will opt for cooperation and competition rather than confrontation that can plunge the globe into strife or worse,” he said.
“Pakistan offers to build bridges in good faith and facilitate communication between the two powers, if they so desire, as it did back in the 1970s,” said Ambassador Masood Khan.
Earlier, Elizabeth Horst, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, speaking on the occasion, said that Pak-US relationship was “one of the most consequential for each other, for South Asia and for the world.”
Noting close cooperation between the two countries in a host of areas including trade and investment, climate change, security and regional security, Ms. Horst highlighted TIFA meeting setting the stage for greater interaction between the two countries in the area of expanding bilateral trade and investment. She termed Green Alliance and the collaboration in energy security and climate change as the new anchor to further advance bilateral ties. “I see real future in the areas of energy and climate, trade and investment and cooperation on regional security,” she said.
On security front, Ms. Horst observed that US was more aligned than ever with Pakistan on how to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a base for terrorism. “We both want a region where terrorists pose no threats and borders are respected. We are looking now at how we can cooperate with Pakistan on counterterrorism, counter-narcotics, anti-human trafficking and we are working to ensure that Afghanistan is never again (becomes) a base for terrorism” she said.
Noting US assistance to flood affectees, Ms. Horst also underscored the role of vibrant Pakistani diaspora in the United States, 39,000 alumni of US- funded exchanges, and forum like US-Pakistan Women’s Council in bringing the peoples of the two countries closer to each other.
On people to people exchanges particularly ties in the education sector, Ms. Horst observed that young people were the future of the relationship and that’s why United States continued to invest in education. In this context she mentioned approximately 800 Pakistani students visiting United States every year on various exchange programs and the presence of thousands of others in the universities across the country. “That is an investment in the future,” she said.
Dilating upon Pakistan’s relations with the world, Ms. Horst said that “Pakistan is a sovereign country. It has made and always will make its own choices. It has a lot of partnerships. The United States respects that.”
“A strong prosperous and democratic Pakistan is essential for the interests of both our countries and both our peoples. The best way to do that is through continued cooperation,” she said.
Ambassador Khan in his remarks appreciated US assistance to Pakistan in generating green energy and modernizing its agriculture through Green Alliance observing that these measures would prepare Pakistan to respond effectively to climate-induced disasters and “keep ourselves in step with fast transforming global economy.”
“In the wake of last year’s devastating floods, the US has become our partner in building a climate-resilient, inclusive economy, with emphasis on food security, health, women empowerment, social protection and infrastructure development,” he said.
On efforts to promote greater economic connectivity, Ambassador Khan said that Pakistan foresee the US catalyzing country’s integration into the global supply chains. “The areas mature for such cooperation are agriculture, biotechnology, medicine, manufacturing and tech industry,” he said.
Michael Kugelman, Director South Asia Institute, Mr. Ghazanfar Hashmi, President International Academy of Letters USA and other speakers including Dr. Hassan Abbas, Esperanza Gomez Jelalian, Ms. Kalsoom Lakhani, Mr. Baqir Sajjad, Ms. Jumaina Siddiqui, Ms. Ambereen Mirza, Rick Khan, Mr. Nasruddin Rupani and Dr. Asaf Qadeer also shared their thoughts. The Ambassador thanked Wilson Centre, the organizers and the speakers for sharing their views.
Washington D.C , April 27, 2023
