The Pakistan-US Strategic Dialogue is unlikely to resume anytime soon, as there has been no indication from the Trump administration to move ahead with a strategy to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries. Diplomatic sources told Business Recorder that uncertainty over the resumption of ministerial-level strategic dialogue between Pakistan and the US persists since the last session was held in Washington in 2016. The sixth round of the ministerial level Pakistan-US Strategic Dialogue was held in Washington on February 29, 2016 in which Pakistan's side was led by the then Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz while former United States Secretary of State John Kerry led the US delegation.
A senior Foreign Office official said that at the conclusion of the sixth round of the dialogue, it was agreed that the two sides would meet for the next ministerial-level strategic dialogue in 2017. However, after the Trump administration's tenure began, the dialogue began facing a setback and there has been no indication to convene the next round of the ministerial level of the dialogue, he added. "Although, in recent meetings between the US and Pakistani officials there was willingness to explore areas for growth in the bilateral relations, yet there was no mention of the next round of ministerial-level of the strategic dialogue", the official said while referring to the recent visit of Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells from April 29-30.
Alice Wells' visit was followed by Pakistan-US talks under the US-Pakistan Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) in Islamabad on May 2, 2019. At the conclusion of the talks, the US Embassy stated that both sides discussed ways to improve access to products, such as agricultural goods and medicines, in each other's markets. "Additionally, given the growth in the digital economy in both countries, discussions about how to improve services and digital trade between the United States and Pakistan took place. While both sides desire to strengthen digital trade, the two sides also looked at ways to strengthen intellectual property rights and the business climate in Pakistan", it stated, adding Pakistan concluded the discussions with an update on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the Special Economic Zones established under the project to encourage trade.
Under the framework of strategic dialogue, the two sides were required to meet annually at the ministerial level, with a view to providing the vision for bilateral partnership in core areas of joint interest and cooperation.
In addition to the ministerial level meeting, the US-Pakistan strategic dialogue comprised of six working groups: 1) energy; 2) security, strategic stability, and nonproliferation; 3) the defense consultative group; 4) law enforcement and counterterrorism; 5) economics and finance; and 6) education, science, and technology.
The dialogue process began in 2010 and the two countries held three ministerial meetings between March and October the same year when Pakistan was considered a key strategic ally in the war against terrorism. The process was interrupted in 2011 following the US midnight operation in Abottabad that killed Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011. Dialogue resumed in 2014 after a gap of more than three years when the then Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and former US Secretary of State John Kerry met in Washington on January 27.
According to senior analyst Lt Gen (retd) Talat Masood, the US has always seen its relations with Pakistan from the prism of Afghanistan. For the Americans Pakistan is relevant in the context of its importance for the peace process in Afghanistan and they believe that after the relevance is over they will have no interest in the country, he said. "I believe that the US cannot make itself irrelevant from the development in the region, especially with rise of China as a major power", he said, adding that Pakistan will continue to have relevance for the US in the future. He said that Pakistan also needs to keep a balance in its relations with China and the US, as both countries are important players regionally and globally.
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