The Pak-U.S Joint Statement of 22nd October 2015 (see Appendix 1) reviewed various sectors for cooperation and collaboration between the two countries and the outcome was fairly positive on a few fronts mainly, the U.S openly acknowledged Pakistan as a key player in regional security dynamics and acknowledged Pakistan’s efforts and sacrifices in the Global War on Terror.
However, whenever there is a statement of this magnitude in an area which is critical in global politics, one must review the regional response to what was said between the two leaders. Keeping in view the changing dynamic of international politics and Pakistan’s geostrategic importance, there is a dire need to gather all regional responses. The statement had little impact on China and Iran’s foreign policy towards Pakistan, though Iran has acknowledged and supported Pakistan’s efforts to lead reconciliatory talks with the Taliban in order to stabilize the security paradigm of the South Asian region. Iran maintains a favourable view towards Pakistan because it is Iran’s gateway to China. A peaceful domestic environment in Pakistan grants a stable route to China and could pacify rebellion in Sistan Balochistan as well.
Afghanistan was brought up in discussion between the two leaders and it was reiterated that Pakistan needs to be at the center of any efforts made towards stabilizing Afghanistan. It then becomes crucial to maintain friendly relations between the Afghan and Pakistan leaderships. Afghanistan made this apparent when their government stated that the Heart of Asia conference was not about Asia at all but was about Afghanistan. The outcome of the conference will be a reasonable platform to predict Af-Pak relations in the near future and should thus be used wisely by Pakistani leadership.
The most significant response to the Pak-U.S joint statement came from India. The following section reviews why U.S policy towards Pakistan has and always will be significant to India in the context of the South Asian regionfor more details please view pdf
