Pakistan’s partisan role during US elections annoyed Biden: Malik

ISLAMABAD: Former Interior Minister Abdul Rehman Malik has claimed that the issue of Afghanistan was not the cause of cold behavior on the part of US President Joe Biden towards Pakistan, rather it was Pakistan’s partisan role in favour of former US President Donald Trump during the last US election campaign that annoyed the incumbent US president.

Talking to The News, Malik revealed, “During the US presidential election, a Pakistani businessman used the Pakistani Embassy in Washington as Trump's election office and when President Joe Biden found out about it, he got annoyed.”

He advised the prime minister and the foreign minister to write a letter to the US president and clarify the country’s position in addition to inquiring from the Pakistan’s ambassador to the US as to who had allowed him to use the Embassy for Trump's election campaign.

He claimed that the ice had not melted yet between the US and Pakistan, otherwise President Biden would have talked to PM Khan. The former Interior Minister asserted that an allegation on Pakistan prompting the Afghan Taliban to take over Kabul before an agreed date was false and Indian propaganda.

He questioned as to how could one stop Taliban from entering Kabul once they were near their destination and Afghan forces welcomed them instead of resisting them, adding that President Ashraf Ghani fled away with many of his cabinet ministers, including his vice President Amrullah Saleh who had made tall claims of resistance and staying in Kabul till the last breath.

“The withdrawal of the American forces was in haste, giving a clear way to Afghan Taliban to enter Kabul and make an interim government of their own will,” Malik said, adding that there was no fault of Pakistan in the given scenario as the US never consulted Pakistan either before invading to Afghanistan or withdrawing its forces.

He said since day one, Pakistan had been playing a very sincere role for restoring peace in Afghanistan and it helped bring many Afghan Taliban factions to the negotiation table, adding, “It is Pakistan that has always come forward to rescue the US in crisis like situations despite the fact that the latter had a history of back stabbing the former.” He said that US had best chance to work with Pakistan to bring peace in Afghanistan instead of indulging in blame game as Pakistan could play a pivotal role, adding, “I hope President Joe Biden takes this advice and takes the initiative to stop Afghanistan from becoming a hub of international terrorists. The solution of Afghanistan crisis lies in the joint strategy and efforts between Pakistan and the USA.”

He said that just like post-Afghan war, US was targeting Pakistan unreasonably and alleging it of harbouring terrorism. He blamed the USA, in collusion to India, for being instrumental in placing Pakistan on FATF grey list for the reason that Pakistan and China were enjoying close ties and collaborating in CPEC project as “China is potentially the next super economic power.”

Abdul Rehman Malik also proposed formation of an International Reconciliation Commission with its key members from USA, Pakistan, UK, China, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan to give a reconciliation plan for resolving the ongoing row between the stakeholders.

To a question regarding PPP’s inclusion in PDM, Rehman Malik said that if the show cause notice was withdrawn, the PPP could return to the PDM. He added that Pakistan was facing many challenges and the people needed relief from inflation and unemployment.