Khar warns against sacrificing strategic partnership with China for US

• Pakistan’s envoy denies misunderstanding with US over discounted Russian oil

Islamabad_Highly classified findings of the US intelligence community have revealed the internal assessment of Pakistan’s policymakers on how to tackle the challenge of growing tussle between the US and China

The documents, among a trove of US secrets leaked online through the Discord messaging platform, provided a rare glimpse into the private calculations by key emerging powers, including India, Brazil, Pakistan and Egypt, as they attempt to straddle allegiances in an era when America is no longer the world’s unchallenged superpower, reports The Washington Post on Sunday.

What was significant of those leaked documents was that the US had been able to gain access to the top secret memo written by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar has recently cautioned her country against sacrificing its strategic partnership with China to maintain ties with the United States.

Khar argues that Pakistan can no longer try to maintain a middle ground between the two superpowers and should avoid giving the appearance of appeasing the West.

Her remarks come as a trove of leaked intelligence documents sheds light on the private calculations of emerging powers, including Pakistan, India, Brazil, and Egypt, as they navigate an era where America is no longer the world’s unchallenged superpower.

The leaked intelligence findings offer new insights on the challenges facing President Biden as he seeks global support for his efforts to reject the spread of authoritarianism, contain Russia’s belligerence, and counter China’s growing global reach.

Khar said that Pakistan can no longer try to stay in the middle between China and the United States. She thinks that if Pakistan tries to be friends with both countries, it will miss out on the full benefits of its partnership with China.

In another document dated February 17, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was thinking about whether to support a resolution in the United Nations that condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

An adviser said that if Pakistan supported the resolution, it might not be able to make good deals with Russia for things like trading and energy.

When it was time to vote, Pakistan decided not to support or oppose the resolution, along with 31 other countries.

The American publication’s story comes at a time when the US has already confirmed that it has no objection to Pakistan’s decision to import oil from Moscow.

“Each country is going to make its own sovereign decisions as it relates to its energy supply,” US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said during its weekly briefing.

The statement was issued in response to a question regarding Pakistan’s deal with Russia after it placed its first order for crude oil after which one cargo will dock at the Karachi port in May.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping for two days of closely-watched talks in March this year — a meeting crucial for the region’s altering political and diplomatic atmosphere.

Meanwhile,

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Masood Khan, has stated that there is no misunderstanding between Islamabad and Washington regarding Pakistan’s decision to purchase discounted Russian oil.

He made this remark while responding to a question at a conference on the Future of Pakistan-US relations in Washington, organized by the Wilson Center’s South Asia Institute, a think-tank based in Washington.

The ambassador explained that Pakistan had placed the first order for Russian oil, and this decision had been made in consultation with the US government.

He added that the United States had suggested that Pakistan was free to buy anything from Russia below or up to the price cap set by G-7 nations, and Pakistan would abide by that agreement.

Masood Khan acknowledged that Pakistan’s ties with the United States had suffered a “brief period of uncertainty” after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

However, he emphasized that the relationship is now back on track, and both countries are working towards enhancing their economic and security partnerships.