Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Syeda Abida Hussain, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States of America has said that currently US-Pakistan relations are at an impasse with the US pressurising Pakistan and tilting towards India.

Syeda Abida Hussain, who was Pakistan’s ambassador to the US from 1991-93 told Daily Times that Pak-US relations were deteriorating. She said that currently US-Pakistan relations were not at a good juncture, whereas the US courtship with India was in full swing, with Pakistan inclining towards China due to the CPEC project.

She said that the US urged Pakistan to sever links with the Haqqani network. Meanwhile America has reneged on its commitment to help Pakistan with financing the purchase of eight F16s.

“The relationship is therefore going nowhere, which may not be negative to Pakistan’s interests as it leaves us free to pursue proximity with China and to seek improved relations with the Russian Federation” she added. Abida Hussain said that the people of Pakistan, broadly speaking were comfortable with the distancing from America. “The current impasse is likely to remain for the time being”, she maintained.

Defence analyst Lt Gen (R) Talat Masood, thinks differently from Abida Hussain and said that it was not necessary to deduce that if the US relations with India were enhancing it means they were deteriorating with Pakistan. The basic issue is the differences of both countries on Afghanistan. The US wanted Pakistan to take action against the Haqqani network and the Taliban Shura. Currently Pakistan does not want to open another front, as she is busy in the fight against terrorism.

Upon questioning, Gen Masood spoke on the growing Pakistani cooperation with China commenting: “I can’t think it is a concern for the US and it is not a destabilising factor in bilateral relations.”

He also said that Pakistan and Afghanistan both should act against no-state actors, which were responsible for creating a rift between both the countries. Pakistan needs to take action against terrorists across the border. Similarly on the other side, Afghanistan has to take action against terrorist groups that are using their land and acting against Pakistan.

He said that due to deteriorating relations and a trust deficit between the US and Pakistan and Afghanistan-Pakistan, the Taliban and other groups were benefiting.