Pakistan is not yet in a sweet spot, says Sharat Sabharwal, former Indian high commissioner to that country, referring to its growing proximity to US President Trump, the defence deal with Saudi Arabia and so on.
In a chat on The Gist, Ambassador Sabharwal noted that “Pakistan has gone through cycles. Sometimes it comes up a little, then goes into a tight spot … but it is emerging from a geopolitical tight spot in which it had found itself for over two decades now.”
Even so, he observed that Pakistan’s internal issues are still there. While things have improved in terms of the economy avoiding sovereign default, civil military problems remain although Imran Khan is no longer a challenge.
China remains solidly behind Pakistan, he said, underscoring the support given during Operation Sindoor and the use of new Chinese weapon systems.
But what explains the new deal with the US?
“They have come together in a new phase, in a specific situation, in a transactional relationship but each of these transactional relationships has been characterised by two elements.”
During the Cold War, while the treaty relationship with Pakistan was directed against the then USSR, which is how the US saw it, for Pakistan it was a hedge against India. Even in Afghanistan, they worked at cross-purposes, the US to keep the Taliban out and Pakistan to keep the Taliban in play.
What does the US or rather Donald Trump hope to get out of this?
“It seems the business interests of the Trump family in the crypto business in Pakistan has given Islamabad a direct connection to the White House,” Sabharwal said, “and that has resulted in an American company signing an agreement earlier this month with the Frontier Works Organisation, which is a subsidiary of the army.”
The Pakistani’s will sell anything, he said, and while the conventional wisdom is that there are no “massive reserves” of oil in that country, as long as it keeps Trump interested, it’s good for business.
Tune in for more in this conversation with Sharat Sabharwal, former Indian high commissioner to Pakistan.
Thirty eight years in journalism, widely travelled, history buff with a preference for Old Monk Rum. Current interest/focus spans China, Technology and Trade. Recent reads: Steven Colls Directorate S and Alexander Frater's Chasing the Monsoon. Netflix/Prime video junkie. Loves animal videos on Facebook. Reluctant tweeter.
