Irfan Malik, President of the USPAK Foundation, while speaking at a public talk "Framing Pak-US relations in Obama's Second Term: Role of the Pakistani Diaspora," organised by the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad, said Pakistani leadership did not properly presented the case of Pakistan and its tremendous contribution in the war on terror.
He was of the opinion that Pakistan rendered matchless sacrifices in the war on terror both in terms of man and material, as the economic losses, he said, exceed from $70 billion to $100 billion is not being recognised in the US due to lack of hard bargaining on Pakistan side.
Referring to the assistance being given under Kerry-Lugar Bill (KLB), he said that it was not sufficient to meet the losses being suffered by Pakistan since it joined the war against terrorism after 9/11 incident. Terming the Pak-US relations as "forced marriage," Malik said it was very painful when the US presidential candidates in their recent campaigns and the US top officials who came up with statements in the US Congress like "we have to work with Pakistan and that we don't have any other option," while relation between the nations are built by mutual trust and respect.
"Other nations don't build their relations in such a way," he pointed out. He said it was because of the short-term interest, which the US has in this region and that is also a pre-dominant perception among Pakistani people. He further pointed out that mistrust was still persistent on both sides, which need to be removed. About further economic aid to Pakistan, he opined that Pakistan was not enjoying a favourable position in US Congress, the main decision making body in the US, and he does not think Pakistan will get some additional aid in the coming four year term of President Obama other than the assistance under KLB.
He said prospect of trade between the two countries are also very bleak, as was the future of FDI in Pakistan by the US, due to Pakistan's failure to sell and market itself well to American investors. "The focus on Pakistan is tempering down," he said. However, he added that Senator John Kerry, who is said to be nominated, as next Secretary of State, takes some proactive measures. He said that Senator Kerry's nomination as Secretary of State was a positive development in favour of Pakistan because he (Kerry) understands Pakistan and also enjoys a good relation with Pakistani diaspora in the US.
He believed that Obama's main emphasis would be on developing his legacy by focusing more on domestic rather than foreign policy issues, adding that his second most essential focus would be on Hillary Clinton election as next US president in the next term.
Malik further said that Pakistan should pursue what is in the best national interest including the multi-billion Iran Pakistan gas pipeline project, which the US considers as unpopular move. About the US drone policy, he said that drone policy would likely to continue in Pakistan despite excessive debate going on within the US against the drones. He, however, said that US would not be in a position to shift the war from Afghanistan into Pakistan after its withdrawal. He said the public opinion and the US economy were not in favour of the US administration to wage another war anywhere in the world.
He highlighted the role of his organisation as a body that empowers, guides and trains the Pakistani-American Youth for future leadership roles. Malik underscored the important role the Pakistani diaspora in the US could play to improve the Pak-US relationship through effective lobbying, increasing citizenship responsibilities and abstaining from Pakistani politics.