Islamabad and Washington are in a proactive diplomacy aimed at cementing bilateralism and taking security cooperation to new heights. The second visit of Army Chief Gen Asim Munir to the United States in the last few weeks testifies to buoyancy in relations, especially in the sphere of military and economic cooperation. The army chief was earlier in the Pentagon, and now in Florida, to attend the high- profile deliberations, and to mark the retirement ceremony of US Centcom chief General Michael Kurilla. The personal chemistry between the two has come a long way as both the countries are in the process of rewriting a new counterterrorism strategy in Southwest Asia, especially taking into consideration the precarious security situation in the region and the uptick in terrorism there. Pakistan is also eager to tap its economic potential and bring in hardcore American investment as it has thrown open the vistas of minerals, crypto-currency, agriculture and energy to investors.
The army chief also praised the role of President Donald Trump in scaling down the volatility between Pakistan and India, and for brokering the ceasefire after their four-day war in May. Likewise, Trump pushing the envelope with Armenia-Azerbaijan and making them sign on the dotted lines after decades of estrangement between them comes as a ray of hope for the two South Asian rivals too. This is where Gen Munir has credited the US president for his efforts to stop “many wars”, and looks forward to the White House role in making India realise that it’s time for talks and reconciliation.
The hype in the Pak-US ties, however, will be seen in the context of Islamabad’s strategic relationship with Beijing too. This is where the Foreign Office has time and again reiterated Islamabad’s special status with Beijing as it constitutes the lifeline in terms of regional connectivity, CPEC investment and military supplies orientation. This balancing act gets impetus as Islamabad strives for peace with India, and is not an advocate of military alliances in the region in terms of containing China at the behest of the US.
