Commenting on Indian PM Narendra Modi’s state visit to the US in her interview with the Voice of America Urdu (VOA), Pakistani Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar said that Islamabad would like to see the relations between India and the US from a positive perspective but hoped that nothing wrong would happen to Pakistan or the surrounding region as a result of India’s actions.
"Pakistan will always look positively at bilateral ties between sovereign countries," says Hina Rabbani Khar#GeoNewshttps://t.co/j0PVNz9bgD
— Geo English (@geonews_english) June 22, 2023
World Must Gauge India’s Role in the Region
Khar underscored that, before propagating India, which she called a “belligerent neighbour,” as a guarantor of regional security, the world should observe India’s role in the region. She added that India has engaged in “unthinkable” and “unprecedented” military adventurism by sending jets to Pakistan in 2019.
“The world has to see whether there was conflict preservation instead conflict resolution due to [India], then it did not augur well for the region. We hope that nothing will go wrong for the region and Pakistan,” the minister remarked.
Pakistan’s increasing ties with China, with the latter’s investment in Islamabad, have seen grown parallelly alongside India’s cooperation with the US. Currently, PM Modi is in the US for a state visit. This visit poses a sort of challenge for Pakistan, which has enjoyed a good relationship with the US for decades.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar on Wednesday underlined the need for the world community to work together to find out solutions to growing global problems like climate change and refugees.
— The Express Tribune (@etribune) June 22, 2023
For more: https://t.co/rJWudtSGrh#etribune #news… pic.twitter.com/xIrsn8v3Pf
Pakistan Has Balanced Ties with US, China
Responding to whether it is challenging for Pakistan to balance ties with US and China in the present scenario, Khar said that Pakistan has had close contact with the Western world since its inception.
She asserted that while Pakistan has maintained close institutional linkages with the US and Europe, it also has very intimate and strategic ties with China. Khar further stated that Pakistan is an excellent example of preserving and balancing the relationships with the US and China.
The minister commented, “Our message to the world is look at Pakistan. Pakistan seems to have a good relationship with both (The US and China). That’s the way to go.”
“It’s every country’s sovereign right to pursue its interests. Our interest is having, balanced, good relations with all countries.”
In her interview, Khar also highlighted a need for all countries, including India, Pakistan, the US, China, and Europe, to collectively address global issues like the refugee crisis and climate change.