Islamabad: Record of an important discussion between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar was leaked wherein the two, along with an assistant, were talking about Pakistan’s ties with the United States.
Hinna Rabbani 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.
The remarks of Minister 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.
Hina 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 Shahbaz 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.
