Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Commerce Adviser Abdul Razak Dawood tried to create misunderstandings between Pakistan and China soon after the PTI came to power. Now another adviser appears to be trying to do the same.
SAPM Moeed Yousuf spoke at the launch of a report titled ‘Pak-Americana: Ushering in a New Era of Pakistan-US Relations’. Foreign Miniser Shahmehmood Queshi was also among those present at the function, indicating the government’s support for the report. The report makes a number of suggestions that are contentious.
There is no dispute about the need on the part of Pakistan to improve relations with the USA. In fact every government in Pakistan has tried to court the USA. The report maintains that in view of the changing geostrategic environment in the region, there are opportunities for Pakistani policymakers to proactively seek and establish a comprehensive and resilient bilateral relationship with the USA. This too is alright as long as it is not done at the expense of Pak-China relations. The report however claims that for this Pakistan needs to assure the USA that it is not a Chinese proxy.
There is a lot of rhetoric about the benefits of trade and investment accruing from transforming Pakistan’s ties with the USA into geo-economic cooperation. Who would invest in a country mired in uncertainty? There is an unending fluctuation in the quality of electricity and power rates, a shortage of gas for industries and a lot still to be done to improve ease of doing business. The country has yet to develop a sufficient reservoir of trained and healthy manpower. Meanwhile economic policies change with the change of every government. Political uncertainty is an additional disincentive.
China has invested over $60 billion in Pakistan to build the infrastructure needed for economic development.
The report wants Pakistan to avoid blanket endorsement of all Chinese foreign or domestic policies. If Pakistan cannot ask the USA not to endorse state terrorism in Palestinian territories, why should the USA expect Pakistan to oppose Chinese policies in Xinjiang? The report wants Pakistan to set itself up as a mediator to allow China and the USA to pursue their shared interests. If Pakistan failed to bring Saudi Arabia and Iran together, how can it hope to mediate between two superpowers?
