Former Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi. PHOTO: twitter.com/LodhiMaleeha
Maleeha Lodhi, former permanent representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, said how to deal with the Kabul issue remains a major security and foreign policy challenge and a serious political dilemma for Pakistan.
“There are obvious limits to a coercive approach and military response, as a complete breakdown in relations with Afghanistan is not in Pakistan’s interests, especially as relations with India remain so tense,” the diplomat said during a speech at Georgetown University in Washington DC.
According to Maleeha, for decades, Pakistan’s foreign and security policy aimed to avoid a two-front scenario of hot borders with its neighbors, but the country now faces unstable and insecure borders on the western and eastern fronts.
She said the current tensions in India-US relations are temporary in nature. Despite tensions, India remains the United States’ partner of choice in the region, particularly in its Indo-Pacific strategy. This and the nature of military cooperation between the United States and India have obvious implications for Pakistani and American relations.
Maleeha said it was the current administration’s US policy based on sycophancy, soft trade deals and a desire to align with Trump’s Middle East agenda.
“These are short-term factors that are at Trump’s whim and will not survive him and may not even survive the current administration. So the challenge of a reset based on actual content remains.”
She said the revival of Pakistan-US relations was epitomized by a series of meetings between the top leaders of the two countries and Trump’s positive statements towards Pakistan.
She said Trump’s positive stance was shaped by several factors, including the two victories he won in Pakistan early in his term.
“First, the surrender of the terrorist responsible for the Kabul bombing in which American soldiers were killed. The second victory was Pakistani leaders crediting Trump for ending the May conflict with India, then currying favor with him by nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. This was reinforced by the critical minerals bid and crypto trade deals.
“But rather than hastily concluding that the relationship is now on a lasting recovery, I would argue that the reengagement has paved the way for a bond reset, which is still a work in progress.”
She warned against the overly optimistic view seen in official circles and among some analysts that a bright new era is dawning in Pakistan-US relations. According to the diplomat, a more measured vision is necessary for several reasons.
“First, recovery so far has been based on a personalized relationship. This makes it short-term because lasting relationships are based on shared interests between countries, not personal preferences,” she added.
