Biden’s nasty remark about Pakistan does little to hide the growing India-US tensions
US President Joe Biden’s calling Pakistan as “one of the most dangerous nations in the world” has ruffled features in our western neighbour. Concomitantly, it may have delighted many in New Delhi, but the reality is more complex. At least, this quote should not be seen indicating any policy shift in Washington vis-Ã -vis Islamabad. “This is a guy [Chinese President Xi Jinping] who understands what he wants but has an enormous, enormous array of problems. How do we handle that? How do we handle that relative to what’s going on in Russia? And what I think is maybe one of the most dangerous nations in the world: Pakistan. Nuclear weapons without any cohesion,” Biden said, as quoted in a White House press release of his remark at the Democratic Party event. Quite predictably, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif rejected Biden’s comment, claiming that Pakistan has been “a most responsible nuclear state, wherein its nuclear programme is managed through a technically sound and foolproof command and control system.” Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari summoned US Ambassador Donald Blome to the Foreign Office of Pakistan. This must have come as a rude shock to Blome who visited Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) just a few days ago, ostensibly to plant a sapling at the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and commemorate the victims of the 2005 earthquake—a visit that was resented by India in no uncertain terms.
Minister of External Affairs mandarins must realise that the Western attitude towards India has been, if not hardening, becoming less friendly since the Ministry of External Affairs decided to stick to its old (and failed) non-alignment policy over the war in Ukraine. There have been actions, including the infamous PoK visit by Blome, that are not to the liking of India. The West-dominated Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which placed Pakistan on its “grey list” for financing of terrorism and money laundering four years ago, is likely to be dropped from it. The global financial watchdog seems to be veering towards the view that Pakistan is complying with its (the FATF’s) action plan. This may happen soon, as the watchdog meets in Paris from October 18 to 21. Only FATF officials can explain, using some tedious arguments, what Pakistan has done in the recent past to enjoy the reprieve, for it remains as dangerous a jihad factory as it was four or 14 years ago. On October 8, the US issued an advisory to its citizens, asking them to exercise “increased caution” while travelling to India due to “crime and terrorism.” One wonders in what manner there has been a surge in crime and terrorism in our country. A few weeks ago, the US cleared a $450-million F-16 fleet sustainment programme to Pakistan. Biden’s comment may be a way to soothe feelings in New Delhi; reading more than into it—for it was a passing comment—would be going overboard.