ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on National Security and Strategic Policy Planning Dr. Moeed Yusuf has said that now the United States is dealing with a different Pakistan; a Pakistan which is self-confident and whose formal vision is squarely based on economic security paradigm.
“Pakistan is talking about becoming a geo-economic melting pot that is ready to consolidate global positive interest in our territory. We are talking about providing the world with economic-bases, not military-bases,” he said while addressing a gathering of US policymakers at the Washington-based think tank Wilson Center titled “US-Pakistan Relations in the Biden Era”.
Laying out a new vision of Pakistan’s engagement with the incoming Biden administration, Dr. Yusuf said that the government wants to pursue a bilateral relationship with the United Nations that is not hyphenated or clouded by US interests in other regional countries but is based on mutual understanding.
“In the past, Pakistan was unfortunately seen by Afghanistan prism,” he added, emphasizing that the world had undergone an immense transformation in the past four years and the new administration should look beyond Obama-era conversation to build a truly bilateral relationship with Pakistan.
While elaborating Pakistan’s vision, Dr. Moeed Yusuf said that our focus is connectivity, China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is an obvious example of it. He added that this is the reason we desire peace and stability in Afghanistan for westward connectivity.
Furthermore, we are looking for development partnerships.
Dr. Moeed Yusuf noted that all Western multinational companies in Pakistan earned profits well above their global average, demonstrating that Pakistan remained a lucrative market for foreign companies.
“How about having US reprocessing zones? Expanding the ROZs? Having US-China co-investments in regional connectivity? “Pakistan of today is very different,” he said.
“Terrorism in Pakistan is negligible, we have turned the corner,” he also said.
While delving into regional peace, Dr. Moeed Yusuf said that we are dealing with a different India; an India which is intolerant, has serious internal tensions, has human rights concerns, and is taking unilateral decision including in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). He said that India is destabilizing the region and becoming a liability on anyone dealing with it including the US.
The Special Assistant on National Security and Strategic Policy Planning said that we wish to achieve a peaceful region where international obligations are met by all countries.
Dr. Moeed Yusuf also emphasized that the Biden administration and Pakistan could work closely on important global challenges such as climate change – a priority area for both the Biden administration and Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government.
The Special Assistant also emphasized that there are opportunities for Pakistan to work with the US in regional diplomacy in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and elsewhere to decrease global tensions and restore the multilateral system.
