Daily Times

There is no denying the impression that the Pakistan-US relationship has always moved on an uneven and on-off trajectory. Many factors have played their part to widen the gulf between the two countries. The US has always regarded Pakistan as a double-dealing and duplicitous agent, while Pakistan viewed the US as untrustworthy. In the backdrop, instability and uncertainty in war-torn Afghanistan are the main bottlenecks, which plunged the relations in this verge. Due to this, the two nations have failed to build a harmonious relation.

It is a well-established fact that Pakistan has always stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the US in “War on Terrorism,” but, in return, received the mantra of “Do More.”

After it had become an independent state on the world stage, it was a colossal step in Pakistan history that she opted to side with the US instead of USSR. In 1954 and 1955, Pakistan became a member of SEATO (South East Asian Treaty Organisation) and CENTO (Central Treaty Organisation), which were later dissolved. Then, came an era of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and Pakistan, which had again came to the forefront to dismantle Afghanistan from the noose of Soviets. In the 1990s, the relations loomed under the clouds of anonymity, due to the lack of interests of the US in the region.

Yet, the incident of 9/11 had brought a paradigm shift in the arena of world politics, and Pakistan again became a blue-eyed baby and was awarded a status of major NON-NATO allied member in 2003. This gave birth to a new era of friendship. Unfortunately, these hopes were soon to become ephemeral, and the US started accusing Pakistan to be a double-dealing agent. The fact is that “War on Terrorism” has wreaked havoc in Pakistan. Ill-conceived and misdirected policies of the US have jeopardised the progress of the strife-torn region.

Khan should give a clear message to the US intelligentsia that Pakistan has suffered a lot in “War on Terrorism.”

Since US President Donald Trump entered Oval Office, he has been constantly accusing Pakistan of its failures in the war-ravaged country; demanding Pakistan to “DO MORE” with his speeches and tweets. In one of his tweets, he noted, “The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years and they have given us nothing but lies and deceits, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe havens to the terrorists that we hunt in Afghanistan.”

This approach served as a mortal blow to establish a cordial relation between the two. So, it can be easily noticeable Afghanistan holds a vanguard position in the recent, ongoing Afghanistan-led, Afghanistan-owned peace process. It has given rise to some ray of hope, in which Pakistan is playing a consequential role to bring stabilisation in Afghanistan for the sake of its prosperous future.

Just at the stone throw, Prime Minister Imran Khan would visit the US. This historic visit contains the seeds of friendship and progress. It is the real need of the hour and requires intelligent policymaking from Khan to showcase its interests in the best possible manner, which not only serves its interests but also builds a harmonious tie with the US. In this regard, the US should stop blaming Pakistan for its failures in Afghanistan. Khan should give a clear message to the US intelligentsia that Pakistan has suffered a lot in “War on Terrorism.”

Similarly, Khan also highlighted Indian atrocities inside Kashmir that India was using torture as a matter of policy and an instrument of control in occupied Kashmir.

The report by UN Office of the High Commission for Human Rights has slammed Delhi’s abhorrent use of pellet guns, offering the gruesome statistics that over 1200 people have been blinded by this weapon between mid-2016 and 2018. Khan should also make Trump aware that India has been continuously using Afghanistan’s soil to destabilise Pakistan. It is a well-established fact that Afghanistan has its geography, history and culture so all stakeholders, especially Pakistan and the US, should facilitate the Afghanistan-owned peace process to disentangle Afghanistan from the fold of bloodshed.

The writer is a doctor of pharmacy and has interest in socio, economic, religious, educational and international affairs