Critical Triangle: US-Pakistan-Afghanistan begins......

Pakistan’s ties with the United States probably represent the single most important relationship it has nurtured with any other country. Other bilateral ties have no doubt been influential and important, but none have been on the same level as the US. For example, Saudi Arabia has had a deep ideological influence on Pakistan, with Saudi interpretations of Islam having become the predominant discourse there. The Saudis have also been deeply involved in the internal machinations of the Pakistani state. The Saudis have frequently bailed Pakistan out economically, helped it mitigate oil shortages on occasion and lent significant support to it in the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC). Similarly China is seen by Pakistan as its “all weather friend.” China’s help in Pakistan’s nuclear weapons programme is extensive and longstanding. China has also filled quantitative gaps in Pakistan’s military line up ensuring a steady supply of required arms.

However, none of these countries match the US either in the aspirational desires of the Pakistani psyche or in geopolitical, economic, social and strategic terms, across the board. The US, for example, has given more aid to Pakistan since 1947 than China or Saudi Arabia combined. Similarly the qualitative transfers of US arms to Pakistan outweigh anything offered by China. While Saudi Arabia may have magnified Pakistan on the Islamic stage, the US has been indispensable to Pakistan’s global diplomacy. This was evident during the Kargil Crisis of 1999 as it was not Beijing but rather Washington that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chose to go. Similarly during the 1971 war with India, it was US action (the repositioning of parts of the US 7th fleet) that insulated West Pakistan from further Indian action rather than any Chinese action. Even today, despite Pakistan having a nuclear arsenal, it is the US that is urged to provide further security guarantees to alleviate heightened Pakistani insecurities. US support at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank have also been critical to shoring up Pakistan’s deeply ailing economy, while China, despite having the biggest dollar reserves in existence, has thus far refused to bail Pakistan out.

To be continued....