Pakistan’s Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while addressing the members of the House of Representatives and the Senate presented Pakistan’s desire to seek better relations with the United States.
Islamabad’s wish to cultivate strong ties with the US is evident from the invitation of US lawmakers to visit Pakistan to hold consultations on enhancing the bilateral terms further. Undoubtedly, such engagements coupled with the US encouragement of regional trade and development would help both sides to protect mutual interests in the region and beyond.
One positive development recently observed was the consensus in the US congress over engagement with Pakistan, as the Congress was deliberating over the claim of the Afghan President that peace in Afghanistan was contingent upon “getting Pakistan on board.”
Nevertheless, America’s chief negotiator on Afghan affairs, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad supported Pakistan, as he informed the US lawmakers that the Afghans should not be absolved of their responsibilities. Deep factionalism, infighting and the Afghan government’s inability to offer a lucrative deal to the Taliban to bring them to the negotiation table are amongst the most pressing issues plaguing the prospects of a stable and peaceful political future for the Afghan people.
What remains is the US government’s recognition of Pakistan’s efforts in convincing the Taliban to give peace a chance. As a peaceful political settlement in Afghanistan has yet to be achieved, the US Congress seems interested in maintaining ties with Islamabad.
Pakistan has always been open to all kinds of cooperation. But the US also has to initiate some moves on its own to ensure that the two sides remain close. Nonetheless, the possibility of cooperation between Islamabad and Washington depends heavily on what happens in Afghanistan. Pakistan needs to carry on with its efforts regarding peace in Afghanistan—which the world is recognising now—so that no one can blame Islamabad for personal failures.
Source: https://nation.com.pk/24-May-2021/working-together