Pakistan-US relationship touches low point as Islamabad regrets to attend Biden summit

The refusal was as polite as could have been but in the end, it meant, Islamabad was not participating in the summit. This naturally did not appease Washington. There was a general observation that the rejection to the invitation was in a way, declaring to stand with China, who was not invited, reports The Nation.

Pakistan was one of the nations that was called to attend President Biden’s Summit for Democracy earlier this month.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered an oblique statement, thanking the administration for the invitation, and saying that it looked forward to engaging with the US on democracy “at an opportune time in the future", the media outlet reported.

But the intervening year has brought a cold shoulder from the Biden administration towards Pakistan and specifically towards PM Khan, who is yet to receive a phone call from Biden.

The relationship between Pakistan and ex-President Donald Trump-led administration was also not positive.

Perhaps a larger factor is China. Pakistan and China are exceedingly close partners, and Pakistan is the flagship venue for Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)- the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor promises $62 billion Chinese economic investments in Pakistan.

The two countries also have a long-standing military and strategic partnership that dates back to the 1960s, reports The Nation.