(
TheDiplomat, may19)
Pakistanβs New Government Mends Ties With the US
Rapprochement could help ease Pakistanβs troubles with negotiating loans from the IMF.
Pakistanβs newly appointed
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in New York on Wednesday. During the meeting, both leaders reaffirmed the need to strengthen broad-based and comprehensive ties.
After the meeting, Bhutto Zardari
took to Twitter to announce that he had a βvery productiveβ meeting with Blinken on βissues impacting regional peace and security including Afghanistan.β
βWe discussed expanding cooperation in trade and investment, energy and climate change, health and education, IT and tech and agriculture. The importance of trade over aid. We will continue cooperation in defence and CT sectors,β Bhutto Zardari wrote.
Similarly, in his brief comments to the media,
Blinken saidthat the meeting with Bhutto Zardari represented an important opportunity to talk about many issues of mutual interest. βWe want to focus on the work weβre doing to strengthen economic and commercial ties between the United States and Pakistan, of course, focused on regional security,β he remarked.
In a separate statement, the
U.S. State Department said that the meeting between the two leaders affirmed the βshared desire for a strong and prosperous bilateral relationship.β
βThe Secretary and the Foreign Minister discussed expanding partnership in climate, investment, trade, and health as well as people-to-people ties,β the statement said.
The high-level engagement comes after a year-long turbulent phase in the bilateral relationship. Former Prime Minister
Imran Khanβs anti-U.S. outlook and criticism of Washingtonβs regional policies undermined bilateral ties greatly. Khanβs criticism of U.S. President Joe Bidenβs decision to
freeze $7 billion in Afghan funds held in the U.S. and apparent
refusal to offer military bases for counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan, among other developments, virtually brought the relationship to a standstill. Moreover, Khanβs government made it worse by not criticizing Russia for the invasion of Ukraine. The relationship broke down further when Khan decided to visit Russia on the eve of Moscowβs invasion of Ukraine.
This annoyance resulted in Washington making it
clear to Pakistanβs policymaking circles that under Khanβs government, the bilateral relationship was not going anywhere. The issue of the so-called β
threat letterβ that Khan has been using in his rallies to charge his political base is nothing more than a reflection of Washingtonβs displeasure over the direction of Pakistanβs foreign policy under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.
This dip in the bilateral relationship came at a time when Pakistanβs financial stability was under severe threat and arguably required the support of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Western capitals. Many in Pakistanβs policymaking circles believe that Pakistanβs weakened ties with the U.S. are one of the key reasons for the IMFβs tough conditions for Islamabad.
The new government in Pakistan is being seen by the countryβs leaders, particularly the military, as an opportunity to reverse the broken relationship with the U.S. and its allies. Under the new government, Pakistan has already adopted a new position on the issue of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, something that Washington has asked for months. Moreover, there appears to be a realization in Islamabad that the country cannot hope to build an economic and diplomatic relationship with Russia at the cost of its already established ties with the United States. For instance, the majority of Pakistanβs exports and revenue come from Western capitals or countries that are allied with Washington. Pakistan cannot afford to undermine all this by pushing a foreign policy direction that has no economic or diplomatic standing at the moment.
Last month, Pakistanβs army chief tried to amend this misstep under Khanβs government by
saying that βthe good army we have today is largely built and trained by U.S. The best equipment we have is American equipment. We still have deep cooperation with U.S. and our Western friends.β He also
slammed Russiaβs military attack on Ukraine, saying that βdespite legitimate security concerns of Russia, its aggression against a smaller country cannot be condoned. Pakistan has consistently called for an immediate cease-fire and cessation of hostilities.β
The change in government and Islamabadβs condemnation of Russiaβs invasion of Ukraine has been welcomed by the Western capitals. We may see Pakistanβs financial troubles easing in the coming days as far as Islamabadβs negotiations with the IMF are concerned.
Secretary of State Blinkenβs mentioning of trade relationship with Pakistan is an indication that Washington is supportive of Pakistanβs efforts to stabilize its economy. It is important to note here that last week, the
U.S. State Department said that Washington will not let βpropaganda, misinformation and disinformation β liesβ get in the way of any bilateral relationship. Arguably, the statement was meant to reject allegations related to Washingtonβs alleged role in the ouster of Khanβs government.
However, it is too early to say if this new engagement will change anything fundamental between the two countries. It is unlikely that a change in government in Pakistan will alter the United Statesβ security-focused and transactional view of the relationship with Islamabad. We may still see Washington burdening Pakistan with its expectations related to counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan.
In any case, the fresh engagement between the two countries is an encouraging development, allowing both countries to take a break from the tumultuous last year of derailment under Khan.
Rapprochement could help ease Pakistanβs troubles with negotiating loans from the IMF.
thediplomat.com