Roadblocks to Summit for Democracy

To attend or not to attend the virtual US-led ‘Summit for Democracy’ is the question. There is no comment whatsoever from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the summit convened by US President Joe Biden this week, probably because Pakistan’s most trusted ally China has not been invited. Out of over 100 countries, only four South Asian countries have been invited – India, Pakistan, Nepal and Maldives.

The White House has extended an invitation to Taiwan, but ignored two very important countries, China and Russia, which has drawn a strong reaction from Beijing. Commenting on this decision, a senior Chinese official commented, “US President Joe Biden’s planned democracy summit next week will be a joke and the American political system doesn’t represent a real democracy.”

US-Pakistan relations nosedived when on January 28 this year, Pakistan’s Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s judgment acquitting Omar Saeed Sheikh, the man convicted of kidnapping and murdering the Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002. The Biden Administration denounced the court’s decision, calling it an “affront to terrorism victims everywhere, including in Pakistan,” adding that the US expected “the Pakistani government to expeditiously review its legal options to ensure justice is served.”

In fact, Pak-US relations hit a roadblock, when Prime Minister Imran Khan did not receive an invitation from President Biden to attend the Leaders’ Summit of Climate held on April 22 and 23 this year. Pakistan was the only nation among the world’s 10 most populous countries to not receive an invitation. In fact, Pakistan’s arch rivals India and Bangladesh were not only invited, but Biden’s Special Envoy for Climate Change John Kerry also visited the two countries to personally invite them.

While ignoring Pakistan, Biden has called for strong and stable relations with India. In a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi, Biden said the relationship between the world’s two largest democracies was “destined to be stronger, closer and tighter,” for the benefit of the whole world. On the other hand, Biden has proved to be in no mood to talk to Prime Minister Imran Khan, although US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met his Pakistani counterpart, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on the sidelines of UN meetings, and thanked Islamabad for help in evacuating Americans from Afghanistan.

Keeping such developments in mind, it appears that redefining US-Pakistan relations isn’t going to be easy. But one thing is clear; the US-Pakistan relationship from the Musharraf era is not making a comeback.

After the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, the Bush administration threatened to bomb Pakistan” back to the stone age” if the country did not cooperate with America’s war on Afghanistan. In an interview with CBS television in 2006, General Pervez Musharraf, disclosed that the threat was delivered by the Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage, while speaking to Pakistan’s intelligence director. President Musharraf was left with no choice, but to succumb to the US threat.

Islamabad wants a broad-based relationship with Washington, a friendship based on the principles of ‘to understand and to be understood’, and one that goes beyond strategic concerns and the war in Afghanistan.

Unlike Musharraf’s submission to US, Imran Khan in an interview on HBO’s documentary series Axios, made it very clear that “Pakistan will absolutely not allow the CIA to use bases on its soil for cross-border counterterrorism missions after American forces withdraw from Afghanistan”. Everybody applauded Khan’s stance and praised him for his brave response.

“Democracy doesn’t happen by accident,” believes President Joe Biden. “We have to defend it, fight for it, strengthen it and renew it.” At this meeting a “diverse group of the world’s democracies” will discuss guarding against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights. Next year, they will be invited back to reporthow they have been able to combat those threats.

According to sources, next year, the fight waged against the threat to democracy by the participating countries will be assessed, and the US Treasury will impose sanctions against the countries undermining democracy. Sanctions will also be imposed on those involved in serious human rights violations and corruption. A diplomatic source made it clear that non-participation in the summit does not mean that country would be facing any sanctions.

The relationship between Pakistan and the US will, however, continue to stick to their respective national interests, which may overlap but never fully integrate. This is natural, because the US, being a superpower, has a global agenda, while Pakistan being a smaller power, has a comparatively regional perspective.

Needless to say, Islamabad values the tried and tested relationship with Beijing, and Pakistan would not want to sacrifice its relations with China at any cost. Therefore, the message to Washington is loud and clear: ‘we want close relations with you, but Pakistan will not become a party to any rivalries designed to isolate its traditional allies’.

The writer is Sub-Editor, Bol News