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‘US no longer a power; Pak may move closer to Russia, China’
WASHINGTON: Pakistan would move towards China and Russia if its views on Kashmir and India are not considered by the US, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s envoys have
WASHINGTON: Pakistan would move towards China and Russia if its views on Kashmir and India are not considered by the US, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s envoys have warned.
The envoys described the US as a “declining” world power.
“(The) US is no longer a world power. It is a declining power. Forget about it,” Mushahid Hussain Syed, special Kashmir envoy, was quoted as saying after the conclusion of an interaction at the Atlantic Council, a top American think tank.
Syed and Shazra Mansab, another Kashmir envoy, are in the US as part of Pakistan’s effort to apprise the global community of the situation in Kashmir and alleged human rights violations in the Valley.
Syed was apparently responding to a question from a member of the audience after the conclusion of the 90-minute interaction, during which he expressed his frustration over the lack of response on the issue.
His remarks were not recorded on camera, but were heard prominently by those inside the room. Thereafter, he was quick to mention China and the newly perceived relationship with Russia.
Syed submitted a dossier of alleged human rights violation in Kashmir to special US representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Olson.
With no takers for Pakistan’s Kashmir policy, Syed said China is now an important factor in South Asia and described Beijing as part of what he termed as Greater South Asia.
“There has been slow and steady building of relationship between Moscow and Islamabad,” he said, referring to the joint military exercise between Pakistan and Russia.
Syed said the Russian government has for the first time agreed to sell arms to Pakistan and the US should take note of this changing regional alignment.
“Unfortunately under the Obama administration, there was a drift in American foreign policy towards our region, towards Afghanistan. There was confusion and there was a lot of flip-flops. The Obama administration could not figure out this region Afghanistan and Pakistan and as a consequence this region suffered,” he said.
