US-Pakistan strategic dialogue

The dialogue is a good opportunity for both sides to air their grievances and hope to come to some common ground.

With Pakistan-US relations in the midst of a bumpy patch, following the recent Nato incursion into Pakistani territory, there is scepticism on both sides regarding the third round of strategic dialogue between the two countries that got underway on October 20 in Washington. The talks are wide-ranging in scope, with everything from power to trade on the agenda. However, as the presence of the army chief at the summit shows, the talks will be dominated by the war on terror. In the days leading up to the dialogue, the US has made it clear that while it values Pakistan’s contribution, it expects a lot more.

Pakistan will certainly try to extract what it can from the US in return for what it believes is unwavering cooperation. But our priorities seem misplaced in that the dialogue seems to focus more on defence and ignores, for example, trade issues. The EU has already offered Pakistani textiles market access for a certain period of time (to help the economy post-floods) and Islamabad should try to get the same concessions from Washington. Pakistan needs to stress how vital economic uplift is to countering the threat of militancy. Socioeconomic development of Fata should be brought up, in particular the ‘reconstruction opportunity zones’, as well as the much-delayed Kerry-Lugar funds. As for our insistence that we be treated alongside India and given a deal for civilian nuclear cooperation, we should realise that given present-day ground realities, this is not going to happen. Instead, we should focus on targets that are within our reach, like assistance for revamping the debt-ridden and thoroughly ineffective power sector. There may be, understandably, scepticism about the dialogue given the recent frays in ties between the two countries but it is a good opportunity for both sides to air their grievances in a frank atmosphere and hope to come to some common ground.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2010.