Pakistan wants a relationship with Washington based on trust and common objectives as part of ensuring a political solution in Afghanistan before U.S. troops leave the country, Prime Minister Imran Khan said in an interview with The New York Times.
Pakistan opted to join the so-called U.S.-led war on terror and now as America leaves neighboring Afghanistan, “basically Pakistan would want a civilized relationship, which you have between nations,” Khan said.
“Unfortunately, the relationship was a bit lopsided during this war on terror. It was a lopsided relationship because the U.S. felt that they were giving aid to Pakistan, they felt that Pakistan then had to do U.S.’s bidding. And what Pakistan did in terms of trying to do the U.S. bidding actually cost Pakistan a lot in human lives.”
Khan said Pakistan used its leverage to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table with the U.S. and Afghanistan government.
His comments came after President Joe Biden met Friday at the White House with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Biden pledged his government’s support to war-torn Afghanistan, which is witnessing a surge in violence. The U.S. leader, in office since January, has yet to speak with his Pakistani counterpart.
On whether Pakistan would continue to have strategic relevance to the U.S. following the troop withdrawal, Khan said Islamabad is well positioned in terms of economics given its location and huge market.
“States really have relationships based on common interests. Pakistan is a country of 220 million people, a young population, in a sense strategically placed for the future if our relationship with India improves at some point, of which I am an optimist,” he said.
“We have one of the biggest markets on one side of Pakistan, and then China on another) side. And then the energy corridor, Central Asia, Iran, if that relationship improves between the U.S.”
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