America-China Jigsaw Puzzle in Pakistan
Editorial
Islamabad: Pakistan is an important outpost for America’s interests in the region. Its proximity to China, Iran, Afghanistan, India, and Russia makes it of particular interest to the Americans.
Hence, the US will not tolerate its interests being compromised, particularly by China, its principal ‘foe’.
The Americans get significantly heightened when they hear statements from Pakistani and Chinese top brass:
“We shall not leave any stone unturned to ensure that every foreign citizen, especially the Chinese nationals contributing to the prosperity of Pakistan, is safe and secure in Pakistan.” (Pakistan COAS Asim Munir, 28/03/24)
“The Chinese military is willing to work with the Pakistani side to continuously enhance our capability of tackling various security risks and challenges, especially our ability to respond to terrorist attacks and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability” (Col. Wu Quran, spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Defense, 28/03/24).
The US has always been worried about the historical strength of the relationship between Pakistan and China, and more so about the CPEC, which Americans view as further strengthening the ties between the two nations, i.e., its strategic outpost and its principal competitor.
Against this background, the recent terrorist attack in Pakistan’s Northwest Shangla region on Chinese workers and interests has raised questions for the inquisitive commentators, particularly as no one seems to have claimed responsibility.
One may ask if this is part of the US and China jigsaw puzzle in Pakistan.
The stakes for Pakistan are very high. It would need to play a careful balancing act to maintain a workable relationship with Americans and Chinese. China is crucial to Pakistan as a powerful neighbor and economically for advancing its development.
On the other hand, Pakistan is very much reliant on the IMF for its financial bailout. The IMF practically takes its ‘direction’ from America, and it is one of the institutions that American game makers use to protect and maneuver things.
This is a tight rope that Pakistan’s new government and the military establishment have to carefully negotiate.
Pakistan is also only too aware of the coziness of the relationship India enjoys, particularly with the Biden administration, which seems to have very little time and space for Pakistan other than using it as an outpost for its strategic game plan in the region.
We also factor in the uneasy relationship that Americans have with Iran and Afghanistan, both very important neighbors that have a major trust deficit when it comes to American intentions.
America is very much aggrieved for not being able to isolate Putin’s Russia and bring it to its knees with economic isolation. Instead, it is seeing the strengthening of the Russian economy, an increase in Putin’s power, and resolve regarding Ukraine.
In all this, Pakistan is of great strategic interest to the Americans. They will not let go of Pakistan.
The billion-dollar question remains high on the agenda: Can Pakistan protect its independence and integrity by pursuing a foreign policy that balances all these considerations in the interest of Pakistan?
An excellent robust analysis of the China-America jigsaw puzzle . Worthy of wider circulation and debate. The title is so apt of the situation. Well done thepenpk.com.
Well written article on the important issue of Pakistan’s foreign policy. Sadly, Pakistan while strategically being perhaps the most significant country for major powers has suffered many
disadvantages because of this.The west, particularly America, has used it to defend and promote its political and economic interests, in the region and beyond, at the expese of the country’s continued both political and economic instability. The question of Pakistan,s dithering foreign policy is not new . It has been on the agenda and much discussed continuesly for the last 20 years but has been fraught with nauseating clarity and also because of the direct and indirect economic dependence of Pakistan on lending institutions which are politically controlled by America. Hence, the indecisiveness in foreign policy has been the major factor for not being able to mend and improve relations with its neighbours. Thus debts have been at the core of the systematic enslavement of the country by America. Therefore, economic independence is a prerequisite to end the political slavery of America.
Only then Pakistan can be in the position to strengthen its relations with China and Iran without the fear of western backlash.