Wonderful - then advocate in support of a US-Pak FTA 'compliant with WTO guidelines', and in the process don't forget to remind the local Congress Critter that without opening the NSG exemptions to other nations such as Pakistan, the US and NSG are supporting double standards, and therefore following a duplicitous and deceitful policy towards Pakistan, given their rhetoric of 'long term strategic relationship and not repeating the mistakes of the past'.
Like I said before, the NSG exemption is not going to be possible for the foreseeable future given the present climate, but other than that, FTAs governed by WTO that can survive legal challenges for compliance are always a good thing to promote.
And my point is that the Indian diaspora and their supporters will lobby against any perceived 'favors' to Pakistan, be it aid or trade agreements, yet, that opposition from the Indian lobby has not stopped you from attempting to influence your 'local Congress Critters' in favor of aid to Pakistan.
You may be surprised to know how many of Indian diaspora here actually are in favor of aid to Pakistan, because they realize that a stable and democratic country to their west can help their own economic growth.
My point being, why all of a sudden, when asked to shift from asking local legislators to support aid and instead support greater market access and an end to double standards in the NSG, do you all of a sudden come up with excuses to not do so, or excuses to highlight the challenge in doing so?
Perhaps I was not clear enough: I go try to promote greater market access wherever possible, given the merits of Pakistani products relative to all other WTO member countries that are also fiercely competitive globally for the same products. Again, the NSG is a separate special case independent of free trade considerations for obvious reasons.
If you can lobby for continued US aid to Pakistan despite the objections of the Indian lobby, then surely you can also lobby in favor of greater market access, which does not involve sending US taxpayer money to a foreign nation.
Yes Sir, I understand that, and will continue to do that. Pakistan can of course help matters tremendously by producing internationally leading products at competitive prices. To give you a small example: A large order for tens of thousands of workplace uniforms was lost because the company could not promise the needed delivery schedule due to power cuts. How does one argue against that sort of limitation? That order went to the Dominican Republic.
How can the ISI 'maintain its part and continue supporting the US mission' when the US continues to implement policies that discriminate against Pakistan and undermine Pakistan's national security?
Exactly correct. That is why the adversarial nature of the relationship is growing by the day, and to stop this, urgent efforts are needed to find common grounds as quickly as possible.
The US could have negotiated an Afghan regime that consisted of individuals that were also pro-Pakistan, rather than putting virulently anti-Pakistan personalities such as Amrullah Saleh in charge of critical Afghan institutions such as Afghan intelligence, military and interior affairs. The US could have demonstrated through actions, such as a FTA with Pakistan, that it was really looking to cultivate Pakistan as a long term ally. The US could have negotiated with Pakistan terms for an NSG exemption similar to that offered to India, rather than applying blatant double standards.
The choices in Afghanistan were dictated by alignment with US interest first and foremost, and quite correctly so. If Pakistan has internationally competitive products, then a WTO-compliant FTA would be relatively easy to achieve. However, the NSG exemption is frankly just not possible in the present environment.
There is a lot here the US could have done to alleviate Pakistan's national security concerns and distrust of US intentions (given past US injustices) as well, yet the US chose not to do so, and treated Pakistan like a door mat. I don't think the US has any room to complain anymore if Pakistani institutions are not interested in assisting US policy objectives anymore, while the US continues to trample upon Pakistani national security concerns.
The past is the past, and I would rather concentrate on how to best move forward. The US complaints against Pakistan are quite understandable, but the security concerns raised by Pakistan are legitimate too. I am sure that some areas of common interest can be found sufficient to salvage the overall complex situation.
Both sides owe it to each other, and to their own people, after so much cost in lives and resources on both sides.
