National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf has said that Pakistan has other options if United States (US) President Joe Biden continues to ignore the country’s leadership.
While speaking to Finacial Times (FT), Yusuf categorically said, “If a phone call is a concession, if a security relationship is a concession, Pakistan has options.”
“We’ve been told every time that . . . [the phone call] will happen, it’s technical reasons or whatever. But frankly, people don’t believe it,” Yusuf added.
Moeed Yusuf’s statement came as a complaint about Joe Biden’s failure to contact Prime Minister Imran Khan as Washington seeks help to stop the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan following US troop withdrawal.
“The cold shoulder from Washington comes as the Taliban has captured swaths of territory across Afghanistan in a ruthless offensive emboldened by the US pullout,” the report added.
“The president of the United States hasn’t spoken to the prime minister of such an important country who the US itself says is make-or-break in some cases, in some ways, in Afghanistan — we struggle to understand the signal, right?”
A Biden administration official told FT, “There are still a number of world leaders President Biden has not been able to speak with personally yet. He looks forward to speaking with Prime Minister Khan when the time is right.”
The US State Department, however, has assured Islamabad that Washington recognises Pakistan’s vital role in restoring peace in Afghanistan and wants the country to play that role. “Pakistan has much to gain and will continue to have a critical role, be well-positioned to have a role in supporting the outcome” in Afghanistan, said US State Department’s spokesman Ned Price, reported Dawn.
A person familiar with last week’s discussions between Yusuf and his American counterpart Jake Sullivan told FT: “The conversation about Afghanistan had been tough but that securing a political settlement … could help improve the US-Pakistan relationship dramatically.”
