The traditional faith and confidence that existed in US-Pakistan relations for decades have evaporated recently mainly due to Islamabad’s closing of relations with the People’s Republic of China and to some extent with the Kremlin, as both are not on good terms with the USA. In this context, it is also to be made clear that while Pakistan needed the USA always from the day of its inception, the USA’s requirement of Pakistan is with gaps-long and short, in the Cold War and post-Cold War phases. It however, has been necessitated in the last two decades due to the launch of war against the terror groups, the Al-Qaeda, in particular, where US considerations mostly revolve around its regional and global politics.
In this period Pakistan has been benefited much from the US, but only in the name of eradicating or combating terrorism in the region and in Kabul where US security forces along with the armies of NATO countries had been fighting in Afghanistan from October 2001. However, over the years, the need and requirements of Pakistan have multiplied on account of various factors and it wants from the USA a relationship beyond traditional perceptions and practices, or more a relationship of equality like with India, with whom the USA has developed and maintained a strategic partnership for the last two decades.
It however, took a U-turn when Donald Trump took over as Presidentt and realised the real role of Pakistan and the status of terrorism in the country. He focused on peace negotiations and ultimately announced withdrawal of all US-led forces from Afghanistan in a phased manner. The peace negotiations are underway among the parties concerned, including the USA and Pakistan, which are trying at their level best to achieve a settlement
In the recent past, Islamabad has focused its relationship with the USA more on economic issues and as among other things, Beijing has provided them to Pakistan, and it has leaned towards Beijing, but also keeping in mind its stiff enmity with India, who is Pakistan’s enemy by birth. Anyway, the number one motto of Pakistan’s present foreign policy is to be aloof from the crossfire politics between the USA and China, the two big powers of today’s global politics.
On being disappointed from India’s refusal to join the US camp in the era of Cold War which began in 1945 after the end of World War II, the USA established diplomatic relations with Pakistan, the first Muslim country with immense geostrategic value in South and Central Asia as well as Eastern Europe. In the entire period of the Cold War Pakistan remained a faithful and dependable ally of the USA in world politics when the later was in deep rivalry and intense competition with the USSR across the globe. Keeping in view Islamabad’s enmity from birth with New Delhi and the declared war between the two from the beginning, the USA had provided billions of dollars annually in the form of aid, military equipment and grants which were used by Pakistan in purchasing US goods, food, and other services. In this context, it is also to be mentioned here that the USA, a country of most successful democracy co-existed with military dictators from the time of Ayub Khan to Pervez Musharraf very comfortably, as the dictators of the time had convinced the US authorities that the military power of the nation was fully competent to rule over the country;
As a result, over the long years of military regime the rulers had been able to strengthen their position in other administrative networks including the nexus with its intelligence agencies like the ISI, In coming days because it became very strong and influential even to control the democratic/elected governments as and when they assumed power through voting. Perhaps, the most fatal side effects of the military, rigid discriminatory rules of Ayub Khan and Yahya Khan resulted in the division of the country in December 1971. It is said that if Pakistan had been a democratic country like India since Partition, the chances of this event were low.
The initial military rulers, Ayub Khan and Yahya Khan, enjoyed good relations and understandings with the USA. This, however, gradually became difficult as the regional situation in South Asia began changing in early 1970s due to the formation of Bangladesh and the improvement of India’s image in comparison to which was also further enhanced with the explosion of a nuclear device in May 1974 followed by the annexation of Sikkim in 1975.
By the same time the USA, taking advantage of the close relations between Pakistan and China, sent Henry Kissinger on a secret mission to Beijing that opened a new chapter in US-China relations, as the visit paved the way for the coming visit of President Richrd Nixon in 1972. Moving further at the close of the 1970s the USSR intervened in Afghanistan and installed a puppet government of its choice. As it was the era of the Cold War, the then US Administration instantly responded and with the help of Pakistan prepared a guerilla war group called Mujahideen to give a retreating fight to the armies of the Soviet Union and the Afghan government as well.
In the name of fighting against the Soviet Army Pakistan took millions of dollars while the Pak security forces and intelligence agencies remained active throughout the period till the withdrawal of the USSR at the close of the 1980s. In the vpost-withdrawal phase once again, the USA became least interested in affairs of Pakistan and the region as well, but the event of 9/11 proved a boon for Pakistan because again Pakistan’s importance became high in the US calculation to fight its decisive war against terrorism which commenced in October 2001.
From October 2001 the USA launched a war against terror groups in Afghanistan in search of Osama bin Laden, the prime accused of the 9/11 terror attack. Earlier the Taliban, the then rulers of Afghanistan, refused to hand over Osama bin Laden and demanded documentary proof of his involvement in the event. Two months after the launch of the war, Taliban rule in Afghanistan collapsed and a direct fight started across the country between Taliban groups and the security forces of the Afghan government and borrowed forces of US-led NATO countries. The USA made a huge expenditure from 2001 onwards and Barack Obama even increased the number of security forces in the country.
It however, took a U-turn when Donald Trump took over as Presidentt and realised the real role of Pakistan and the status of terrorism in the country. He focused on peace negotiations and ultimately announced withdrawal of all US-led forces from Afghanistan in a phased manner. The peace negotiations are underway among the parties concerned, including the USA and Pakistan, which are trying at their level best to achieve a settlement.
