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ISLAMABAD: The democracy summit in Washington beginning on Tuesday would be a test for Pakistan’s diplomacy as the cash-strapped country would look to rekindle ties with the US without irking its longtime ally China, as per a media report. Like the first democracy meet in 2021, both India and Pakistan have been invited to the summit. Pakistan had opted out of the first summit, reportedly on the back of the Biden administration‘s refusal to reach out to the then-PM Imran Khan.
Dawn newspaper reported that for the cash-starved Pakistan, the summit could be a major opportunity to win over the US support for raising funds from international lenders and bilateral donors. But Pakistan’s “all-weather friend” China would be closely monitoring these overtures as US has already annoyed Beijing by inviting Taiwan, the self-ruled island which China claims as its own.
Beijing would want Pakistan to opt out of the “controversial” meet but doing so will send negative signals to the US at a time when Islamabad wants Washington to be on its side to help secure a deal with the IMF. “While very unlikely, I wouldn’t completely rule out foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto making an appearance,” said Michael Kugelman, a scholar of South Asian affairs at the Wilson Centre in Washington. When contacted, officials at the Pakistan embassy in Washington told Dawn they had not heard anything from Islamabad yet.
Dawn newspaper reported that for the cash-starved Pakistan, the summit could be a major opportunity to win over the US support for raising funds from international lenders and bilateral donors. But Pakistan’s “all-weather friend” China would be closely monitoring these overtures as US has already annoyed Beijing by inviting Taiwan, the self-ruled island which China claims as its own.
Beijing would want Pakistan to opt out of the “controversial” meet but doing so will send negative signals to the US at a time when Islamabad wants Washington to be on its side to help secure a deal with the IMF. “While very unlikely, I wouldn’t completely rule out foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto making an appearance,” said Michael Kugelman, a scholar of South Asian affairs at the Wilson Centre in Washington. When contacted, officials at the Pakistan embassy in Washington told Dawn they had not heard anything from Islamabad yet.
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