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US policy on Pakistan

25 March 2006, 18:00 PM
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
By Masood Khan, Chicago, US
25 March 2006, 18:00 PM
This is in response to the article "New phase in US relations with South Asia." It is not a surprise that the US treats Pakistan this way. Every time the US needed Pakistan, it always rewarded it with economic and military aid and when Pakistan's need is gone, the US ignores the country. After the fall of the Soviet Union which took place after the defeat of the Red Army in Afghanistan, Pakistan was sanctioned by not only the US but by most of the Western world because of its nuclear programme. Pakistan, after Libya, was the most sanctioned country in the world during the 90's. However, despite all the hardships, Pakistan still went ahead and acquired nuclear weapons capability.

On top of this, Central Asia, once under the control of the Soviet Union, has some independent states now. These states are rich in natural resources such as natural gas, oil, minerals, etc. There are only two ways of getting these natural resources out of Central Asia: through Iran or through Pakistan via Afghanistan. American relations with Iran are at an all time low, so the only way would be to go through Afghanistan and through Pakistan (Gwadar will be used as a port for the Central Asian states). So Pakistan's strategic value has increased greatly in the last few years. Both America and China are competing to control Central Asia and both are trying to sway Pakistan into their friendship.

America has tilted towards India because of a rising China and naturally Pakistan is starting to tilt heavily towards China.

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