In a recent dialogue with Pakistan’s Ambassador for USA, Mr Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, the official encouraged US to look at Pakistan from a broader lens.
Currently, it (U.S.-Pakistan relationship) is under stress. I must admit,” Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry confessed to a Washington audience this week speaking before the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He said that this was because Pakistan is viewed in relativity with another nation such as Afganisthan, China or India. He claimed that this was a narrow approach to follow with his home country.
He was quoted saying-“Sometimes we are viewed through the lens of Afghanistan, and since United States is not making progress in Afghanistan, that could actually be up against failure. Perhaps it is through — because of Pakistan — and therefore a tendency to view Pakistan in that narrow lens.”
As an answer to a press query, Mr. Chaudhry said that India had been given a role in the Afghanistan matter by US. This decision has had paranoid reactions from Pakistan as political leaders, the army chief and commentators alike protested vehemently against Trump’s suggestion, claiming that any Indian involvement in Afghanistan is detrimental to Islamabad’s interests.
At his recent talk at the Council for Foreign Relations, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi went on to say that Pakistan wants ‘zero’ political or military role for India in Afghanistan.
Pakistan is also deemed to be closer to China and with the rivalry between U.S. and China, Pakistan again gets caught in the crosshairs.
He also said that comparison with neighbor country India is also unfair to Pakistan. “Sometimes, it is viewed through the lens of India, that India now is a strategic partner for the U.S. and is expected by the U.S. to play a larger role in the Indo-Pacific region. And since Pakistan is not on good terms with India, therefore, Pakistan perhaps is not worth to maintain relationships,” he explained.