Following reports of an agreement between Washington and the Afghan Taliban on ending the long war, Pakistan Sunday said it has “reset” its relationship with the United States in accordance with its desire for regional peace.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Qureshi told journalists in his hometown, Multan, that Pakistan wants to pursue peace in the region and is not looking for a relationship with the United States based merely on assistance.
“We are a nation, not beggars. The outcome of bilateral relations should not merely be dependent upon how much money (you get out of it),” Qureshi said, according to Pakistan Today newspaper, while stressing the importance of peace in the region as a major factor in U.S.-Pakistan engagement.
He also underlined that only dialogue, and not war, is the way toward peace in the region. Pakistan has been stressing dialogue as a way to end the war in Afghanistan but it is only under Trump Administration that the U.S. has been able to pursue that with some success.
The U.S.-Pakistan relationship have seen many ups and owns since the United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001 after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Qureshi spoke as an understanding reached between the U.S. and Afghan Taliban on the exit of American troops from Afghanistan raised hopes for an end to the longest running war in U.S. history.
Pakistan has been backing efforts toward a peaceful outcome of the war after President Donald Trump wrote to Prime Minister Imran Khan for Islamabad’s support for an Afghan peace process.
During his interaction with the media, the foreign minister also felt that the U.S. also desires to have strategic, rather than transactional relationship with Pakistan.
“We will approach [other countries] with our vision. We don’t need aid, but we want regional peace. Our regional outreach is an example of that,” he said, referring to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent economic diplomacy with Arab allies.
Meanwhile, a Voice of America report says Pakistan has credited itself for for pushing the Afghan Taliban to dialogue with the United States.
“Pakistan’s success is that it has sincerely and faithfully diverted the recent positive environment and energy in its relations with the U.S. to the complete benefit of the Afghan peace process, and Afghanistan as a whole,” a senior official told VOA, according to a report.
