Pakistani envoy urges US to maintain balance in ties with S Asian nations

WASHINGTON: Pakistani Ambassador to the United States Masood Khan has stressed that Washington should maintain a strategic balance in relationships with the South Asian countries.

Noting that the US was overly aligned with India which was negation of traditional policy of maintaining strategic balance in the relationship with South Asian countries, Khan said that restoration of equilibrium would contribute to peace and security of the region.

Ambassador Khan made these remarks while talking to Tim Horgan of World Affairs Council of New Hampshire during the "Global in the Granite State" podcast.

He, however, noted that Pakistan had its own independent space vis-à-vis United States and "we want to use up that space in the economic and defence realms."

Meanwhile, the Pakistani envoy said that India's preference should be neighbourhood first and it should be peaceful neighbourhood.

Advising India to invest in economic connectivity, he said India’s progress would become way more respectable if they have good ties with their neighbouring countries.

The comments from the Pakistani diplomat came as India gears up for government formation after the announcement of election results in which Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fell short of required majority needed in the Lok Sabha.

However, Narendra Modi was nominated as the prime minister for the third consecutive term by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Commenting on US-China relations, the ambassador observed that the "United States leadership has been managing the relationship with great care and wisdom". 

He also noted that the recent visits had set the ground for collaborative model, not a confrontational model.

“The shared goal for Pakistan, United States and all leading nations of the world is to have peace and security in the region,” said the envoy.

He also emphasised on reducing poverty to zero saying that the world must pursue the goal of eradicating impoverishment.

“When we talk about Global South, the priority number one should be elimination of poverty, eradication of poverty,” he said.

Khan said a responsible international financial system should be established enabling countries to set themselves free from the debt.

“We should also have a responsible and responsive international financial system” to enable countries walk out of the debt trap and to make the economies more resilient and self-sufficient, he added.