On Wednesday, Pakistan’s caretaker foreign minister, Jalil Abbas Jilani, stated that Pakistan’s connections with China were not a “zero-sum game” and did not come at the expense of its relations with any other country, including the “robust” ties with the United States.
Jilani, speaking at an Asia Society event on the fringes of the UNGA session in New York, emphasised that the Pak-US relationship had been “de-hyphenated” from other bilateral connections and that both sides were now focusing on “standalone” bilateral relations.
Foreign Minister Jilani elaborated on Pakistan’s foreign policy and its pursuit of peace, stability, and shared prosperity, saying, “We believe we can have close and cooperative relations with both the US and China.”
With “having acted as a bridge between the two countries (China and the US) in the past, we remain convinced that stable and cooperative relationship between the US and China is instrumental for global growth, development, and security,” he said.
According to Jilani, China is Pakistan’s largest commercial partner and a key investor, particularly in the infrastructure and energy sectors, as well as the centrepiece of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Similarly, Jilani has deemed the alliance with the United States to be among the most significant of any two countries’ alliances. Since Pakistan’s independence, he said, the country has worked with the United States to promote peace, but he noted two major shifts in the nature of their relationship.
To begin, he added, “security and defence cooperation remained an important pillar, while equal emphasis was laid by both sides to strengthen cooperation in non-security areas like trade and investment, climate change, energy, health, agriculture, information technology (IT), and the tech sector.”
The interim foreign minister went on to say, “The relationship now stands de-hyphenated from all other bilateral ties, and both sides are focused on tapping the inherent potential of standalone bilateral relations.”
According to Jilani, these two shifts set the stage perfectly for a new era in the two countries’ ties to one another.
The Pakistani-American community, he said, has been working ceaselessly to support Pakistan’s efforts to deepen its connections to the United States.
Afghanistan
According to Jilani, the rise of terrorist groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) and ISIS-Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) is Pakistan’s top security issue right now. He voiced fear that terrorist groups could exploit Afghan territory to undertake attacks inside of Pakistan.
Despite this, “Pakistan remains closely engaged with the interim government of Afghanistan on the issue,” Jilani said. Terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan should be seen as a threat to the surrounding area and the international community as a whole.
He emphasised that Pakistan had a vested interest in maintaining peace in Afghanistan, both internally and with its regional and international partners, and that Pakistan was dedicated to the fight against the defeat of terrorism.
He said, “This goal is central to our direct engagement with the Afghan interim government and cooperation with the international community on Afghanistan.” To avoid humanitarian disasters, he stressed the importance of “de-linking aid from political considerations” in Afghanistan.
He noted that Pakistan shared the international community’s worries about the state of human rights in Afghanistan, particularly on the treatment of women and girls.
The foreign minister also emphasised the millions of Afghan refugees that Pakistan has been housing for decades, and how they will continue to cooperate with the Afghan government and the international community to help them return home.
Foreign Minister of India
Jilani said that Pakistan still wants “peaceful and cooperative neighbourly ties with India,” but that sadly, Islamabad’s good outreach and peace overtures were met with animosity.
“India’s illegal actions in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and abhorrent human rights violations of innocent Kashmiris at the hands of Indian forces have further deteriorated relations [between the two countries],” he continued.
However, he noted, “India’s belligerence and anti-Pakistan rhetoric for domestic electorate are taking us farther away from these objectives.” He emphasised that regional peace and security required calm and constructive engagement on all unresolved issues, including the Kashmir dispute.
Concerning the situation in Ukraine, he assured the world that Pakistan will keep trying to help find a peaceful resolution. He called for the Black Sea Grain Initiative to be restarted as soon as possible, saying, “We hope that peace would prevail to allow people in both Russia and Ukraine to enjoy its dividends.”
Pakistan, he said, has always been an outspoken supporter of multilateralism because its leaders believe “we can resolve conflicts, alleviate poverty, and achieve sustainable development” through diplomatic means.
“Pakistan also considers arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation efforts as vital tools to promote the goals of peace and security at the global and regional levels,” he said.
Troubles in the economy
The caretaker foreign minister stated that Pakistan was dedicated to participating in international efforts to address the urgent issues of the day and bring about the country’s vision of peace, stability, justice, equity, and shared prosperity.
To achieve this goal, “we are undertaking ambitious reforms,” he stated. ”Our priorities,” he went on, “are to encourage investment, to increase the ease-of-doing-business, and to streamline the regulatory environment.
The foreign minister called climate change another urgent global concern, citing the devastating floods of last year as evidence that Pakistan is feeling the brunt of climate change’s effects despite being one of the world’s least responsible nations for causing the problem.
To tackle climate change, “we are doing our part by investing, with the help of our friends like the US, in reconstruction, tapping renewable energy, reforestation, and sustainable agriculture practises,” he explained.
