Daily Times

The United States and Pakistan established their diplomatic relations after the independence of 1947. The US extended its economic and military assistance to Pakistan to further strengthen the cordial partnership with Pakistan. When Pakistan joined the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) and Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) pact in 1953 and 1954 respectively, America wholeheartedly welcomed her. However, the suspension of military assistance during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war created a voyage between Pakistan and the United States on a trust deficit basis. The United States suspended its military assistance to both countries India and Pakistan, however, such suspension took Pakistan into financial crunches. History reveals that both countries developed their cordial relationship based on mutual interests. International relations experts argue that the relationship between the two states has been described as a “rolling coaster.”

The United States always preferred India as a coalition partner contrary to Pakistan. Both countries support each other in different situations for example containment of communism, the war on terror and the peace war in Afghanistan. The US extended different assistance programs to Pakistan economic assistance of $4 billion, military and security advancements of $6.8 billion for educational endorsements programs etc.

The future of Pakistan-US relations hinges on expanding beyond a security-focused partnership to a more diverse, mutually beneficial collaboration.

The US is scared about the emerging partnership between Pakistan and China, Russia and Afghanistan. Hence, the United States tried to decrease the emerging rays of the trio states through Pakistan. The US is going to revive its relationship with Pakistan in diverse fields from energy, health, investment, climate crisis and regional stabilization to counterterrorism in Afghanistan.

The high export destination worldwide for Pakistan is the US, which empowers its Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). To strengthen the economic ties and investment relations, the US and Pakistan come close to growing the partnership with new horizons. The US continuously extended its relationship with Pakistan to share commercial, business and technical assistance. The US-inspired Pakistan’s cooperation is eliminating the militant groups and their safe nexus in the region. The UN has appreciated Pakistan’s efforts in the National Action Plan against terrorism.

Pakistan is the fifth-largest populace country and 44th largest economy in the world and has a long history of trade with the US. It is believed that the US had imported goods of more than 5 billion dollars in 2021. The US has also been running shareholder in Pakistan for the past 20 years.

In the most current fiscal year, US direct investment in Pakistan increased by 50 per cent – it is now the highest it has been in over a period. The USA is keenly interested in agricultural products, energy, chemical and consumer goods and wishes to sustain its trade for the long run. In relationship with the South Asia strategy announced by President Donald Trump in August 2017, the United States halted security assistance to Pakistan in January 2018, with certain narrow exceptions for US national security interests. ?The United States has been one of the largest sources of foreign direct investment in Pakistan.

During the Cold War period, Pakistan was a great supporter of the US, In the US-Afghanistan Policy, Pakistan played the role of shield state for its coalition force to launch an attack. In the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), Pakistan remains a key partner of the US by providing logistic support and intelligence sharing. Similarly, it played a pivotal role in negotiating between the Taliban commanders and the US government. The former President of the US President Donald Trump labelled Pakistan as a haven provider to the militant groups and blamed her as an untrustworthy ally in GWOT.

The Trump administration urged Pakistan to stop the Taliban’s support, particularly Haqqani Network operations in Afghanistan. According to Dr Shakeel Afridi, the Trump administration demanded Pakistan to remove the vacuum of trust deficit and take strict actions against the Al-Qaida web and eliminate it from Pakistan soil as well as pressure on the Taliban for reconciliation talks and handover. Donald Trump tweeted on January 1, 2018, that “The US has blindly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deception, consider us like folly partner. The main reason for failure in Afghanistan is this deceitful partner.”

The era of Biden administration treated the same behaviour with Pakistan as a non-trusted ally of the US. Albeit, foreign policymakers of the US have shown a positive gesture for Pakistan once again and urged the incumbent government that Pakistan’s role in the US withdrawal from Afghanistan is undeniable. Hence, Pakistan can play a better role in tackling the hostile states in the region such as Afghanistan. The incumbent government gave a green signal to reappraise its relationship with Pakistan for many reasons like the Chinese rising in the region, Sino-US confrontations, Iran’s nuclear rapprochement and Russian and Chinese expansion in Afghanistan.

The future of Pakistan-US relations hinges on expanding beyond a security-focused partnership to a more diverse, mutually beneficial collaboration. By working together in areas like education, technology, climate change, and health, and by strengthening economic ties through trade and green technology investment. Both nations can foster a sustainable partnership. Pakistan Shifting the US aid toward economic reform, along with enhancing people-to-people connections through educational exchanges and diaspora engagement, will deepen mutual understanding.

Public diplomacy and a balanced approach to strategic relationships, especially regarding China, will be key to regional stability. Collaborative efforts on global challenges like climate change and health security will further solidify and adapt this partnership to the evolving global landscape.

The writer is freelance columnist, he can be reached at wajid@sdpi.org