KARACHI: Former Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States Dr Maliha Lodhi has said that prospects for major improvement in US-Pakistan ties are limited which is why lowering our expectations would be more prudent and realistic.
She was speaking on the webinar on the Future of Pakistan-US Relations organised by the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs (PIIA) on Saturday.
“I don’t see any commonalities between the two countries right now other then counter terrorism which is US requirement and Pakistan is also keen to adopt counter terrorism strategy,” she said.
Maliha was of the view that the key element of the US to counter China to project India has also impacted Pakistan’s relations with America.
She said that US had also kept mum over the annexation of occupied Kashmir with India which shows how US is supporting Delhi to create regional imbalance.
She said Pakistan wants good relations with US as US has been single largest markets and important source of foreign direct investment (FDI). She said Pakistan’s diaspora could play an important role to bridge gap between the two countries.
Former ambassador Zamir Akram said Pakistan-US relations have been asymmetrical and continued to be asymmetrical and by contrast, Pakistan-China Relations are based on strategic convergence. He said Pakistan needs to stand on its own feet to avoid IMF and World Bank pressure and for better economic growth.
He said China seeks peaceful rise and win-win cooperation and it is not seeking great power status to replace the US.
Dr Adil Najam, professor at Boston University US said US-Pakistan relations are seen as transactional. He said Pakistan needs to strengthen its foreign policy. He said Pak-US relations are always based on bilateral interests.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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