West is overly obsessed with controlling China. Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, the caretaker prime minister, claimed that Pakistan was concentrating on its own interests without picking a side in the competition of great powers and that the West was “over-obsessed” with efforts to control China.
The prime minister stated that Pakistan intended to remain “neutral” regarding Russia’s war with Ukraine in an interview with the Washington Post that was conducted during his trip to New York to attend the 78th United Nations General Assembly session and was published on Wednesday.
He also stated that Pakistan saw China as an “all-weather friend” and “strategic partner.”
“It’s not a Cold War. There is no Iron Curtain here. It’s not that opaque. Everybody sees what is happening,” the prime minister said.
He said the West was “over-obsessed” with efforts to contain China.
He explained to the interviewer that Pakistan was drawing a course to stay out of the rivalry between the West, Russia, and China.
As West is overly obsessed with controlling China, according to Kakar, Pakistan has no plans to support either side in the escalating US-China conflict.
Pakistan paid a heavy price for siding with the West against the Soviet Union and once more following 9/11, according to Kakar.
“Pakistan in the last 30 years, has been treated unfairly by the West,” he told the interviewer.
“Every nation for itself. Why should we be worried about this competition? It’s between two great powers, two great civilizations, and the implications [affect] 150-plus countries. And Pakistan is just one of them,” PM Kakar remarked.
Mentioning Pakistan’s “neutral” stance on Ukraine, the prime minister said: “This crisis is creating challenges and at the same time it is creating opportunities also within the region, and we are looking at it both ways.”
Prime Minister Kakar flatly denied the allegations in a media report of Pakistan moving any munitions to Ukraine saying, “We have not gone for any sale which was directly intended for the Ukraine, not any sort of transactions, even through a third party.”
The prime minister refuted the claims of wrongdoing regarding the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf employees and compared Pakistan’s actions to the American arrests of those responsible for the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.
“Arrests are being made for unlawful actions, somebody who is involved in arson or vandalism,” he said.
“This is not the kind of behavior which is promoted or vindicated by any liberal democracy. So why is it being even expected of Pakistan that we should condone such behaviors?”
