- No hegemons, please
National interest led Pakistan to cultivate friendly relations with both China and the USA. Despite belonging to opposing camps, neither Pakistan nor China let down each other during the Cold War era. The two countries finalised border demarcation amicably and KKH was jointly built by them. PIA was the only airline from a non-communist country to be given permission to land in Beijing. In 1971 Pakistan facilitated the then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s secret visit to Beijing that led to a breakthrough in China-US relations. It was widely appreciated that China never tried to dictate to Pakistan.
Soon after its creation in 1947 Pakistan reached out to the USA as it was looking for aid and military equipment. For this it joined SEATO and CENTO, the US-led military pacts. Thousands of Pakistani students benefitted from the US scholarships and hundreds of military officers got training in American military academies. The US aid was helpful, but was frequently used to pressurise governments to follow policies dictated by the USA. This not only created an anti-US sentiment among the masses but often led to protests from governments too. Soon after the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan, the USA withdrew from the region leaving Pakistan to deal with the monster of extremism created by the USA.
The USA has warned Pakistan of what it considers ‘risks’ from the CPEC. Pakistan’s political parties are bitterly divided over numerous issues but have unanimously endorsed the Corridor. To start with, the project has helped the country overcome the power shortage that was harming commerce, industry and agriculture besides disturbing domestic life. What is needed now is to bring down the power bills. One also expects many more Pakistanis to be provided jobs through the projects while 75,000 are already employed in Corridor-related activities. At a time when the USA and other industrialised countries were reluctant to invest in Pakistan, China staked billions of dollars in infrastructure and is expected to invest more in Special Economic Zones.
US President Donald Trump’s South Asia policy aims at turning India into its regional satrap, lording it over smaller countries. While many in Pakistan want normal relations with India, none would support the idea of India as a hegemon. Pakistan needs US friendship without strings attached.
