Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is on a US visit, a month after his weeklong stay in the country during the 70th United Nations General Assembly session. Immediately after his arrival Sharif raised Kashmir in his address to Pakistan diaspora. He told them that New Delhi’s response to the desire of bilateral ties has been discouraging. He reiterated Pakistans longstanding position that Kashmir issue is the bone of contention between India and Pakistan and it will have to be resolved for peace and stability in the region. Sharif was received at the Andrews Airforce Base by the Assistant Secretary of State Peter Selfridge and accorded a Guard of Honour by the United States armed forces. He will hold discussions on issues of bilateral interest with President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and various Cabinet members.
However, while Sharif may have mentioned Kashmir early on in his visit, the troubled state will not be the main item on his US agenda. Talking about Kashmir has become a sort of the right of passage for Pakistani politicians: this establishes the credibility of their foreign policy among the people of Pakistan. Besides, raking up Kashmir, even if only to fellow Pakistanis in US, was important for Pakistan PM on his most important foreign trip.
Sharifs US visit is essentially about the unfolding new geo-politics in South Asia, where great power re-alignments are changing the game. Taliban resurgence in Afghanistan and the recent capture of Kunduz has forced President Barack Obama to defer complete pullout from the country until 2017. And perhaps, most important from Pakistan angle is the potential deal to limit Pakistan’s nuclear programme in return for an easier entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group, a body that controls the export and trade of fissile material. White House spokesperson Josh Earnest has not ruled out nuclear talks but he tampered down any further expectations, saying such a deal “is not something that’s likely to come to fruition next week”. But even the prospect of the talks on such a deal is itself a development of far-reaching proportions. It will rehabilitate Pakistan as a nuclear power and thus bring it at par with India which has already signed such a deal with US.
Afghanistan, on the other hand, continues to be a major irritant in the US-Pak relations. US is sore about Pakistans covert support to Haqqani group and Afghan Taliban. The visit will, therefore, be about US demand that Islamabad aid the US efforts for stabilizing Afghanistan. Obama is likely to tie the aid to Pakistan military to Islamabad stopping the support to Taliban. But this is a gambit that is unlikely to succeed considering Pakistan also receives financial support from China and Saudi Arabia.
But as far as Islamabads relations with India are concerned, US will be reluctant to play an active role albeit behind the scenes Washington has traditionally egged on the two countries to resume dialogue. Similarly, on Kashmir, Washington will hardly drift from its policy letting the neighbours sort it out. But despite this, Sharif-Obama meeting is of profound significance considering the geo-political context surrounding it. It is crucial for US-Pakistan alliance which is fraying at a rate unseen since the two first joined hands during cold war. Let us hope for a productive outcome for the region.
