Categories: World

It has been nine months since Biden has taken his call, and Imran Khan is fuming

<p>
It has been more than nine  months since Joe Biden has taken charge as the President of the US, but Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has yet to receive a telephone call from the big man.</p>
<p>
In the last nine months, Khan has been seen complaining in all his media interviews that Biden has not bothered to call him. “He is a busy man,” he once lamented when asked about the stony silence from the White House.</p>
<p>
Despite Khan keeping a brave face, growing frustration is quite evident and according to a news report by a Pakistani daily The Express Tribune, he has approached an influential Pakistani American firm to lobby for him to persuade Biden to call. The influential Pakistani American is a friend of Biden and the Pakistani foreign office is trying to use his ‘good offices’.</p>
<p>
While Imran Khan was expecting a pat from the US for Pakistan’s role for facilitating US-Taliban deal,  instead a bill was introduced in the US senate demanding a deeper investigation into the Taliban victory in Afghanistan and sanctions on non-state and state actors, including the government of Pakistan who had assisted them in ousting the Ashraf Ghani-led regime and supported their offensive in the  Panjshir Valley.</p>
<p>
To  further blow  to Pakistan, one section of the bill is in the region which calls for the president to report to an appropriate committee on not just what Russia and China are up to in these countries, but also on matters “including border disputes with South and Central Asian countries that border the People’s Republic of China”. If that’s not enough, it goes on further to say that the US should identify areas of diplomatic, economic and defence cooperation with India to address the challenges posed by these countries, and an assessment of how it has affected India’s cooperation with the US”.</p>
<p>
<a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-117s2863is/pdf/BILLS-117s2863is.pdf">IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES </a></p>
<p>
<strong>Also Read :</strong>  <a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/economy-news/us-senate-s-intent-to-probe-pak-role-in-taliban-comeback-worries-business-community-118537.html">US Senate's intent to probe Pak role in Taliban comeback worries business community</a></p>
<p>
According to Pakistani analysts,  Khan is now more desperate and wants to talk to Biden to present Pakistan’s case either in person or on phone or video call but so far there has been no response from the Biden administration. There is no clear explanation from the White House as to why Biden has  avoided a telephone call. But observers believe this suggests that Pakistan, perhaps, is no more a priority for the US. Khan was planning to visit the US last week to address the UN General Assembly in person and the Pakistani foreign office and Pakistani lobby did try to convince Biden to host him in White House but it was turned down. But at the same time Biden had made a plan to host the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sulking Khan canceled his visit. In the past, Pakistan used informal channels to communicate with US presidents. During Trump's term, Pakistan established direct contact with the US president using his son-in-law and the Saudi crown prince as facilitators.</p>
<p>
But Biden is not new to Pakistan since he has vast experience in dealing with Islamabad first as head of the influential foreign relations committee and then as vice president and as Pakistani analysts believe that Biden's experience of dealing with  Pakistan, is working to Islamabad’s disadvantage.</p>
<p>
<strong>Also Read : </strong> <a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/india-news/why-did-pak-pm-imran-khan-cancel-his-us-trip-116271.html">With Joe Biden not dialling his number, impatient Imran Khan rushes top adviser to Washington</a></p>

Mrityunjoy Kumar Jha

Mrityunjoy Kumar Jha has decades of field experience in covering global terrorism, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. He is also an enthusiastic wildlife photographer.

Recent Posts

UKPNP Slams Pakistan’s Unconstitutional Presidential Order in PoJK

Jamil Maqsood, the President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the United Kashmir People's National…

3 hours ago

Meeting of ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement committee concludes in Delhi

The 6th meeting of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) Joint Committee concluded in…

3 hours ago

US adds 29 Chinese firms to Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity list

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), on behalf of the Forced Labor Enforcement Task…

4 hours ago

Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile calls for UK’s action on China’s Abuses

A delegation from the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (TPiE), led by Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel and accompanied…

4 hours ago

Indian Dornier 228 aircraft flypast on the sidelines of India-CARICOM Summit

On the sidelines of the 2nd India-CARICOM Summit, leaders of the member countries witnessed a…

5 hours ago

India spent $14 tn on investments since Independence, more than half of it spent in last 10 yrs: Report

India's economic growth story has witnessed a remarkable surge in investment spending, with over half…

5 hours ago