PAKISTAN TO SKIP US SUMMIT ON DEMOCRACY
■ APPARENT DIPLOMATIC REBUKE MAY TRIGGER SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS ■ SKIPPING MOOT ATTENDED BY TAIWAN, PAKISTAN STANDS BY ONE-CHINA POLICY
IN a major diplomatic rebuke, Pakistan on Wednesday announced to skip the Summit for Democracy being hosted by President Joe Biden of United States of America. The virtual summit is set to take place on December 9-10, 2021. Apparently, the decision is a diplomatic rebuke to the US which may have serious implications for the already strained relationship between Islamabad and Washington.
The US had invited leaders from over 100 representatives to join the summit. Pakistan was among four countries of the region which were invited to the summit. Others included India, Maldives and Nepal.
However, analysts believe that Pakistan has reaffirmed its support to China by skipping from the moot. The analysts believe the US plans to use the summit to target China by inviting Taiwan to the meeting excluding China from it.
Pakistan has time and again expressed its principled stance of supporting One-China policy and attending a summit with Taiwan would have reflected otherwise. Prime Minister Imran Khan has also reaffirmed many times in recent past that future of Pakistan’s economic development is linked with its friendship with China.
According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office in this regard, Pakistan thanked the Us for the invitation but said that it would engage with the country on a wide range of issues “at an opportune time in the future.”
“Pakistan is a large functional democracy with an independent judiciary, vibrant civil society, and a free media,” the statement said.
“We remain deeply committed to further deepening democracy, fighting corruption, and protecting, and promoting the human rights of all citizens. in recent years, Pakistan has instituted wide-ranging reforms aimed at advancing these goals. These reforms have yielded positive results.”
The statement further said that Pakistan values its partnership with the US and wishes to expand it both bilaterally as well as in terms of regional and international cooperation.
“We remain in contact with the US on a range of issues and believe that we can engage on this subject at an opportune time in the future,” the statement read.
“Pakistan will, meanwhile, continue to support all efforts aimed towards strengthening dialogue, constructive engagement, and international cooperation for the advancement of our shared goals,” it concluded.
PML-N senior leader Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Pakistan’s top expert on China, Pakistan relations, told Pakistan today that this is a correct decision reflecting both the sentiments of the people of pakistan as well as our national interests.
“The US thought they’ll snap their fingers and we’ll come running! in any case, with participation of ‘democrats’ like Modi, the so-called ‘democracy Summit’ becomes a farce,” said Senator mushahid who heads the China, Pakistan Institute, the country’s independent think-tank.
“(This is) basically, weaponising ‘democracy’ as part of the new Cold war against China and russia. even us own democratic credentials are suspected given what’s been happening, of late. the us seems to be reverting to the rhetoric of the past, the previous Cold War which was billed as an ideological struggle,” concluded Mushahid Hussain Sayed.