National self-interest

Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security Sartaj Aziz has voiced our genuine concerns in the wake of President Barack Obama’s just concluded visit to India. These concerns deal with deterrence and strategic stability in the region. The adviser also vowed that Pakistan reserved the right to take every step to safeguard its national security interests.
Some of the agreements that the US made with an increasingly chauvinistic India which particularly riled Pakistan include: nuclear cooperation, support for India’s membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group and support for India to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. No doubt all these developments are of serious concern to us. But Pakistan would be naïve to accept any fair play from a fickle and unreliable ally like the US. Pakistan has to watch its own interests and follow policies that promote its self-interest. National self-interest is the only guiding principle in international diplomacy.
Akbar Jan Marwat
Islamabad