Islamabad and Washington seem to be at a new crossroads, this time, against the backdrop of US-withdrawal from Kabul, followed by a high-level political outburst in Pakistan.

Pakistan appears to have assumed that the Taliban are in a dominant positionin Afghanistan and that the long demanded withdrawal of the US and NATO forces from this high-conflict zone is a victory for theTaliban as a superpower has failed to overcome them.

The latest standoff between Pakistan and the US began a few weeks back when Islamabad openly denied provision of military base(s)to the US as a substitute and emergency measure to counter any untoward situation in Kabul after the withdrawal.

“Absolutely not,” was the answer of the country’s Prime Minister Imran Khan who also confirmed that the CIA head had visited Islamabad to discuss security matters.

In a recent speech in the parliament, he lashed out at the US for dragging Pakistan into its War on Terror; calling that time “the darkest period of our history”, Khan stated, “Afghanistan has never accepted interference from outside. After deciding that there was no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan and setting an exit date, the US wanted Pakistan to bring the Taliban to the negotiation table.”

Pakistan has no magical power to persuade them except trying to persuade them, he said. He said Pakistan did not want to have any favourites in Afghanistan and refused to choose sides.

“Whoever the Afghan people choose, we are with them”, he stated, adding that Pakistan can be a partner to the US in peace but not in war and conflict.

In Pakistan, many believe, the state is sympathetic to the Afghan Taliban. The state and the party in power do not seem confused but avoid questions about taking a clear position against the Taliban ideology. The state and the government(s) have also avoided labelling Osama Bin Laden a terrorist. There has been no clear statement about the country’s position in case the Taliban forcibly capture Kabul.

“The Taliban consider the US withdrawal from Kabul [to be] their victory,” Prime Minister Imran Khan said while talking to Chinese media few days back.

“Let us see what position we take then if the Taliban forcibly control Kabul,” Pakistan’s National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf, told a Geo television, adding, “At the moment, our utmost effort is for a political reconciliation and political solution through talks and mediation in Afghanistan.”

The political outburst in Islamabad represents frustration and feelings of being sidelined by the US from the political settlement formula in Kabul because of the manipulation of two other major geopolitical players: the Ghani-led Afghan regime and India. However, the marathon rounds of backdoor Pak-US discussions between the military establishments highlight the potential for some positive developments.

In a recent speech in the parliament, Prime Minister Imran Khan lashed out at the US for dragging Pakistan into its War on Terror; calling that time “the darkest period of our history”.

It appears that the US, along with the anti-Pakistan players (India and some in Afghanistan) may continue to put pressure on Pakistan to push fortheir own terms and conditions. Pakistan, after remaining on the grey list of Financial Action Task Force and in the latest seeing its name in the list of the Child Soldiers Prevention Act (CSPA) of 2021, has called the allegations baseless and dismissed them as a pressure tactic by ‘certain forces’ to get a solution of their own choice to the Afghanistan crisis. Many in Pakistan say meanwhile that the recent frustration can be attributed to Islamabad’s failure to get promises of wide-range economic cooperation from the US to play a key role in resolving the Kashmir issue.

“If the Americans have the resolve and the will, this can be sorted out,” said PM Khan about the Kashmir issue while talking to an international media outlet. Pakistan believes that the US-India alliance is damaging its interests. Perhaps this is the key reason why Islamabad is increasingly moving towards China, the economic archrival of the US.

“Obviously, the nature of this relationship between Pakistan and the US was not the same in the past. There is inherent strength in these relations. It is important for both the countries to retain each other’s goodwill for the promotion and preservation of their respective regional and global intertest,” says Jalil Abbas Jilani, a former Pakistani ambassador to Washington. In the context of Afghanistan, he says, “We have had convergences for very long. Both countries are aiming for a political settlement of the issue.”

For the last two decades, Pakistan has been a frontline ally of the US in the War on Terror. There was a series of composite dialogue to enhance ties in various sectors. These relations faced serious setbacks during two key moments that increased the gap of mistrust between the two countries. The two episodes are challenges of getting Raymond Davis, an undercover agent working as a contractor in the US embassy on diplomatic passport and tracing the footprints of the US’ most wanted terrorist OBL from Pakistan and that too very close to a military garrison. The relationship soured further after Pakistan’s top court acquitted Ahmad Omer Saeed Sheikh, accused of abducting Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Peral in 2002 and killing him.

The new US administration has given Pakistan a cold shoulder as far as political matters go. Yet, the recent donation of Covid-19 vaccines might provide an opportunity to repair the relationship.

“This highlights America’s enduring friendship with Pakistan and its cooperation in the fight against Covid-19,” Secretary of State Blinken said on the delivery of 2.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine.

“There is a singular objective of saving lives and this is only the beginning,” Blinken further said in a tweet. The USAID is already working on a number of development and skill enhancement programmes in different fields and in different areas of Pakistan.

The US seems quiet for now after Pakistan denied provision of military bases arguing that this would affect peace in Pakistan and urging for a sensible political settlement in Afghanistan. Many assert that it is time for the regional proxy wars to end. Islamabad seems to be in agreement. PM Khan has said that the country wants to move forward and grow economically through peace and stability.

“There is need to understand larger interests of each other and open a structured dialogue between the two countries, a dialogue Pakistan had with the US in the past,” says Jilani, adding, “If there is a gap in perceptions on certain issues that also requires a high-level comprehensive dialogue to bridge it.”

The author is a staff reporter.   He can be reached atvaqargillani@gmail.com

Twitter: @waqargillani