DG ISI Lt-Gen Nadeem Anjum holds security talks with CIA Director and US NSA in Washington

Pakistan, US hold security talks ahead of FM Bilawal's visit​

The combination photo shows DG ISI Lt-Gen Nadeen Anjum (L) and US CIA chief William Burns. —Photo courtesy: DawnNewsTV/Reuters

WASHINGTON: Pakistan and the United States completed their security level talks in Washington on Wednesday, days before a scheduled meeting between their foreign policy chiefs is scheduled to be held in New York.

Inter-Services Intelligence Director-General (DG ISI) Lt-Gen Nadeem Anjum spent three days in Washington this week, meeting senior security officials, including US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and CIA Director William J. Burns.

Neither side disclosed the details of these meetings, but the talks are believed to have focused on bilateral security concerns and the situation in Afghanistan, as the US believes that Pakistan can help stabilise the war-torn country.

The last security level talks between the two countries were held in July 2021, when then-National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf met Mr Sullivan at White House. The Pakistani delegation had also included former ISI chief Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed.

Later, Mr Sullivan said in a tweet that their talks focused on ‘regional connectivity and security, and “the urgent need for a reduction in violence in Afghanistan.”

The current ISI chief’s visit followed an unprecedented deterioration in Pakistan-US ties, triggered by former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s claim that Washington conspired with opposition leaders to topple his government.

At a news briefing on Tuesday, US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price rejected Mr. Khan’s claims as speculations and lies, adding that the United States will not let “lies get in the way” of its bilateral ties with Pakistan, a relationship, he stressed, the US values.

“We are not going to let propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation — lies — get in the way of any bilateral relationship we have, including with the bilateral relationship we have with Pakistan, one we value,” he said while responding to a question about Mr. Khan’s claims.

On March 27, days before his ouster, the former PM brandished a letter at a rally in Islamabad, claiming it contained evidence of a “foreign conspiracy” hatched to topple his government.

All three wings of the US administration - the White House, the Pentagon, and the State Department - have rejected the accusations, saying there’s no veracity to them.

During Tuesday’s briefing, Mr. Price was also asked about a call made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Pakistan’s newly appointed Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari last week, during which the US official invited Bilawal to a United Nations food security summit on York in New on May 18.Mr. Price said that Mr Blinken and Mr Bhutto-Zardari also discussed the “ongoing engagement when it comes to our economic ties, trade and investment, climate, energy, health, and education.”

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2022

Pakistan, US hold security talks ahead of FM Bilawal's visit

Lt-Gen Nadeem Anjum spends three days in Washington; both sides discuss security concerns and situation in Afghanistan.

www.dawn.com

 

[Humble Analyst]

Establishment entails the generals, senior bureaucrats, influential citizens, few politicians.

Armed forces are good people and do not have a say in these matters.

Very funny thanks

 

[VCheng]

Vcheng.
I think the paths of the 2 have moved on and I think there is little the US will do to incorporate Pakistan's concerns in its calculus for its designs in the region. It is no longer a 2 way street. Pakistan on the other hand needs to be a little bit more diplomatic, as you don't wag your rear end in front of a Hungry tiger not expecting it to bite. The last experience of cooperation with the US has cost enough for Pakistan not to want any more "Cooperation". However, the norms of diplomacy need to be maintained.
I dont know what your assessment will be about how the US will view the situation if IK comes back into power. Will it want to engage Pakistan again or will it continue to ignore the polity while engaging the military? I would appreciate a detailed response from you.
Regards
A

Please allow me to take on the points one by one.

In international geopolitics, nothing remains the same. If the paths have diverged for now, they will again converge in certain areas in some time. That is just the nature of things. Hence you are correct in saying that diplomatic norms must be followed, which also means that diplomatic communications must carry on. If Pakistan was disappointed with USA recently, it is only because Pakistan did not get everything they wanted, but then again, neither did USA. That is the art of compromise, as long as both sides get some of things they wanted, but not everything. I would say that such arrangements are likely to continue, with both sides jockeying for advantage, by getting as much as possible by giving away as least as possible. USA knows that Afghanistan will remain a hotbed that needs supervision, and Pakistan knows it is best placed to provide it. These two facts will ensure continued co-operation between the two, for sure.

Having observed the above, Pakistan will remain a far more important regional player than it will ever be an international partner, simply because US goals are global, while Pakistan's are not. Pakistan will need to enhance its value regionally, and be content with remaining on the sidelines on the global stage, as long it can wean itself off the hashish of being the center of geopolitics and the LSD of CPEC being the center of future world trade. As much as it may irk some here, Pakistan is clearly not going to be treated the same as India, because we lost the economic plot a few decades ago, and will now pay the price. May be in another 30-50 years, if by some miracle, we are able to get our economy going again, we might be able to revisit this issue of parity. Right now, it is best to let it sleep, just like our economy.

Coming to IK, as PM or exPM, please allow me to be blunt. USA knows that two-bit temporary actors as the façade do not mean much, including all the previous players, and certainly including the present ones. It tried to build up the civil side of things by the Kerry-Lugar Bill, which was a miscalculation on their part, clearly, as shown by the response of the military in ensuring that the civilians remain in a position of eating out of their hand, and their hand only (also why Dr. Afridi is still in jail, since the military wants it known that only it can decide on who gets to co-operate with entities outside the country). If exPMIK were to regain power, the military will ensure that that state of affairs continues. So to USA, it does not really matter what idiot's photo hangs on the wall next to Jinnah's, or who gets the photo ops in the Oval Office, as long as it can do business with the real power center. It is not USA's fault, or problem, that it can ignore the civil polity. It is simply an embedded and enduring "feature" of Pakistan that needs to be accepted if bilateral relations are to move on for mutual benefit.

I won't even go into why the Iron Brother is so silent over recent developments, but that, as they say, is another story for some other time, may be.

 

[RoadRunner401]

Oh please, security talks my behind, Mir Sadiq is their to buy some real estate, apply for green card for himself and Mir Jafar (Bajawa) plus deposit the cash filled suite case he picked up from London and recently Issued cheque from American taxpayers, I am just wondering is he also going to buy some Master food franchise or going to run some 711's

 

[Falconless]

Lol…Security talks with masters ? Why US need to talk when few thousand dollars can turn the table in favor of them ?

Where’s Kwaja Asif? Defence talks should be led by him, the defence minister not some civil servant.

 

[R Wing]

our armed forces need to realize that, these r the same Americans who r their own enemy no 1 right now. Even more then India. The damage they have done to them n Pak is far more then India was/is or will ever be capable of doing.

Gullalai Ismail, Hussain Haqqani and countless other are still being sheltered by them!

In 21st century, our relations with them arnt important. Pakistan can live without them!
While the relationship which benefits us are in East not in North America or Europe!

Its not just abt IK, its abt themselves and specially Pakistan!

They realize everything but only care about their own power.

Realization is irrelevant when your incentive structure is f'd up.

 

[MisterSyed]

I sure hope they play all their cards and likely will as promises were possibly made.

Either they have a plan or are just over confident given the half-baked govt in the country.

Whatever the outcome I hope the country gets on the path to prosperity with benefits for the common people.

Why use the word "Establishment"? Why not just say armed forces or GHQ? Is this historical or just a nice way of naming someone without naming them?

Because Establishment Consists of Rich People , Land Owners , Bureaucrats , Generals , Powerful People. Not Just the Army.

 

[Trango Towers]

Army is now the enemy of the people of Pakistan

The current regime is the enemy of the people of Pakistan

Pakistan has been hijacked

 

[lightning F57]

My cynic take, US trying to find ways not to decrease but increase violence in Afghanistan through restart of drone strikes.

 

[Ghazwa-e-Hind]

If Quaid-e-Azam was alive, he'd be really disappointed after seeing that instructions are taken from US/EU to run the country.

 

[khansaheeb]

Pakistan, US hold security talks ahead of FM Bilawal's visit​

The combination photo shows DG ISI Lt-Gen Nadeen Anjum (L) and US CIA chief William Burns. —Photo courtesy: DawnNewsTV/Reuters

WASHINGTON: Pakistan and the United States completed their security level talks in Washington on Wednesday, days before a scheduled meeting between their foreign policy chiefs is scheduled to be held in New York.

Inter-Services Intelligence Director-General (DG ISI) Lt-Gen Nadeem Anjum spent three days in Washington this week, meeting senior security officials, including US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and CIA Director William J. Burns.

Neither side disclosed the details of these meetings, but the talks are believed to have focused on bilateral security concerns and the situation in Afghanistan, as the US believes that Pakistan can help stabilise the war-torn country.

The last security level talks between the two countries were held in July 2021, when then-National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf met Mr Sullivan at White House. The Pakistani delegation had also included former ISI chief Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed.

Later, Mr Sullivan said in a tweet that their talks focused on ‘regional connectivity and security, and “the urgent need for a reduction in violence in Afghanistan.”

The current ISI chief’s visit followed an unprecedented deterioration in Pakistan-US ties, triggered by former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s claim that Washington conspired with opposition leaders to topple his government.

At a news briefing on Tuesday, US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price rejected Mr. Khan’s claims as speculations and lies, adding that the United States will not let “lies get in the way” of its bilateral ties with Pakistan, a relationship, he stressed, the US values.

“We are not going to let propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation — lies — get in the way of any bilateral relationship we have, including with the bilateral relationship we have with Pakistan, one we value,” he said while responding to a question about Mr. Khan’s claims.

On March 27, days before his ouster, the former PM brandished a letter at a rally in Islamabad, claiming it contained evidence of a “foreign conspiracy” hatched to topple his government.

All three wings of the US administration - the White House, the Pentagon, and the State Department - have rejected the accusations, saying there’s no veracity to them.

During Tuesday’s briefing, Mr. Price was also asked about a call made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Pakistan’s newly appointed Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari last week, during which the US official invited Bilawal to a United Nations food security summit on York in New on May 18.Mr. Price said that Mr Blinken and Mr Bhutto-Zardari also discussed the “ongoing engagement when it comes to our economic ties, trade and investment, climate, energy, health, and education.”

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2022

Pakistan, US hold security talks ahead of FM Bilawal's visit

Lt-Gen Nadeem Anjum spends three days in Washington; both sides discuss security concerns and situation in Afghanistan.

www.dawn.com

What has the US done for regional connectivity and regional security in the region in the last 20 years?

 

[Clutch]

Do more era to start again.

 

[Ghazwa-e-Hind]

Do more era to start again.

If airbases are given to NATO again, Pakistan will be in a real bad position. terrorism will return in our cities. There would be severe backlash from IEA & TTP. I hope we're not repeating this grave mistake.

Pakistan needs to completely focus its energy on economy and exports, and get cheaper Oil from neighbors (Iran/Russia) on urgent basis.

 

[Path-Finder]

I wouldn't be surprised if Pakistan is going to become Egypt! if you know what I mean!!

 

[lastofthepatriots]

Anjum looks like he is of same zaat as billo rani.

 

[Raja420]

I don't appreciate all of this negativity towards our establishment who work day in and day out to protect Pakistani citizens.