Ambassador Masood Khan is interviewed by Elizabeth Threlkeld
US-Pakistan Relations Remain Strong, Says Masood Khan
By Elaine Pasquini
Washington: In a December 8 interview with Elizabeth Threlkeld, director of the Stimson Center’s South Asia program, Masood Khan, Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, noted that today the relationship between the United States and Pakistan remains “strong, reflecting the aspirations and shared values of the people and leadership of the two countries.”
In Pakistan’s formative years, the ambassador recalled, the United States helped the new country develop its military capabilities and “prepare a blueprint for economic development that sealed the bond between our two nations as we entered into alliances to uphold freedom, peace, security and prosperity for all.”
Khan expressed the value of expanding this long-standing partnership in the areas of economics, trade, investment, energy, health, education, climate change and agriculture. “I would say the political climate is ripe for that kind of broad-based cooperation in 2023,” he said.
While emphasizing that Pakistan’s relationship with the United States was of “the highest importance,” the ambassador stressed that Pakistan’s ties with China “will remain on a steady path.” Khan applauded the statesmanship recently demonstrated by the United States and China when President Biden and President Xi met in Bali at the G20 summit. “Pakistan would not like to choose between the two countries but be a bridge if that’s feasible,” he stated.
The ambassador thanked the United States for its generous humanitarian assistance of $97 million in flood relief after climate-induced floods inundated one-third of the country, effecting 33 million people and displacing nearly eight million, in addition to spawning myriad health, food, education and housing crises. “We deeply appreciate the US assurances that it will be a partner in our climate-resilient, inclusive and people-centered post-flood recovery and rehabilitation strategy,” Khan said.
The agreement to create a loss and damage fund emanating from the recent COP27 climate talks under the leadership of Pakistan’s climate change minister Sherry Rehman who chaired the G77+China negotiating group “is a positive development, but the fund’s chest should not remain empty if we sincerely and seriously want to save the planet from annihilation,” he warned. According to estimates, Pakistan sustained loss and damage of $31 billion – one of the biggest climate-related disasters on record. While Pakistan has contributed less than 0.4 percent to the global carbon footprint, it is the eighth most vulnerable country to climate catastrophes.
Stressing the need for a long-term strategy, Khan acknowledged Pakistan needs to work on the country’s river systems and glacial melt, pointing out that Pakistan has nearly7,000 glaciers.
With a population of 220 million, some 80 to 100 million in the middle class, and 130 million below the age of 30, Pakistan is an emerging economy. The country is investing in science and technology and taking advantage of the large number of students, including emerging tech entrepreneurs, graduating every year from universities. “Our tech start-ups have done well in the past two years and are poised to grow exponentially,” he related.
One bright spot in Pakistan’s future economy is a report by the World Economic Forum predicting that Pakistan would be one of the top ten economies by 2030. “We are planning for that future as we streamline our taxation system, improve ease of doing business, harness our regulatory regimes to attract investments and empower our citizens, especially women,” he said.
Despite the “residual regulatory challenges” of doing business in Pakistan, which Khan acknowledged need to be rapidly addressed, 80 American enterprises operate in Pakistan and find the market very lucrative, he said. These include Pepsi, Coca Cola and Procter and Gamble, among others.
Responding to Threlkeld’s question on whether – given Pakistan’s current economic problems – its level of defense spending is sustainable, Khan replied there needs to be a balanced approach. “Security is imperative for Pakistan,” he insisted. “We must consider the neighborhood and Pakistan’s security. If we invest in economic development and GDP increases, probably this problem of the allocation of funds for defense would also not make much of a challenge because then the percentage allocation for defense would decrease.”
Turning to India-Pakistan relations, Threlkeld pointed out a few positive events that happened over the past year between the two neighbors, such as the renewed cease-fire on the line of control, cooperation on wheat shipments to Afghanistan and the opening of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor, a Sikh religious site inside Pakistan close to the Indian border. She also suggested “perhaps the rhetoric has cooled off a little bit.”
“The holding of the cease-fire has saved many lives across the line of control,” Khan acknowledged, so that shows “if there is some level of communication we can build confidence, we can resolve problems…but channels of communication have to be open.”
“I think that we have been looking for peace and security in South Asia for the past 75 years,” the ambassador noted. “We’re still ready to talk to India and engage it on the full spectrum of the issues that have divided us,” such as the Indus Water Treaty, strategic stability talks or Kashmir. “The Kashmir conflict can’t just be swept under the carpet,” he emphasized. “After rescinding Articles 370 and 35A they are trying to amalgamate this disputed territory into the Indian union and that is not going to work.” He denounced India’s illegal demographic changes in Kashmir that are attempting to reduce the Muslim majority in the state.
But India has a “dismissive condescending attitude” toward Pakistan, he stated. “I think that kind of posture needs to be revised in Delhi if they really want genuine talks with Pakistan.”
Going into the new year, the ambassador concluded, the US and Pakistan have a strong relationship. “There is relevance and there will be engagement and it is taking place as we speak,” he said. “Regular contact between the two nations and joint efforts to create an enabling environment for strengthening our relations is very, very important. It is imperative.”
(Elaine Pasquini is a freelance journalist. Her reports appear in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs and Nuze.Ink.)
