Bilateral ties with the United States are set to be revived as Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari visits New York later this month. He is also expected to meet Secretary of State Antony Blinken and seek to strengthen relations once again.
Ahead of the visit, DG ISI was in Washington for three days where he held talks with senior security officials including CIA chief and National Security Adviser, laying the groundwork for the foreign ministers’ meeting. Reviving talks with the US is also a key priority for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after the political shakeup in the country, following Imran Khan’s ouster.
Blinken had congratulated PM Shehbaz after he took over as the prime minister and said Washington was looking forward to longstanding ties with Pakistan. He then invited Bilawal to a ministerial food security conference in New York which is certainly an effort to restore bilateral engagements.
Relations plummeted during Imran Khan’s era and there was no contact between the prime minister and President Biden. As Imran Khan sought to retain power in the face of mounting pressure, he pointed fingers at the United States to explain his downfall. He accused Washington of conspiring to remove him from office, saying the Biden administration was upset over his approach to foreign policy.
Although the allegations may be unsubstantiated, they highlight deep tensions in US-Pakistan relations which the new government will have to address. It is certain that PM Shehbaz and the military top brass are keen to restore ties. However, there is still a perception that the US doesn’t view Pakistan as a priority after the withdrawal from Afghanistan and other areas of focus such as competition with China, countering Russia, and war in Ukraine remain matters of contention.
US-Pakistan relations have not been easy. American officials have accused Pakistan of not doing enough against terrorism and sheltering armed groups. Pakistan has been angered by these allegations, saying the country paid a high price in supporting the war on terror. This animosity heightened when the Taliban took control in Afghanistan.
It needs to be seen how the US approaches Pakistan under Shehbaz Sharif’s leadership. There is unease among political and military leaders on which side to pivot, even though it has been stated that greater interest lies with the West due to economic benefits and access to large markets. Nevertheless, it will be a herculean task to reset ties once again and move forward.
