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NEW YORK: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar drew an unlikely analogy and compared Pakistan’s relations with China to the United States’ relations with Israel.
While speaking at the US think-tank Council for Foreign Relations (CFR) during his visit to New York, PM Kakar was asked about the relationship between Pakistan and China.
In response, he said, “Pakistan enjoys a strategic relationship with China. We are very clear that there are people who would qualify Pakistan as “China’s Israel”. It is probably more a good analogy for American audience, because you do understand and appreciate the value of Israel for United States”
“Pakistan and China has a lot in common in terms of the emerging threats within region. There are commonality on certain issues, such as One-China policy, be it in Tibet, Xinjiang, Taiwan, we do share … the stated goals that we would stand shoulder to shoulder with each other, and it is reciprocated by China.”
Talking about US suspicion of Beijing, he said that perhaps there was a need to engage — economically, politically and socially — with China,. He hoped that a rapprochement, along the lines of what Henry Kissinger accomplished in the 1970s through Islamabad would be witnessed soon.
The caretaker PM believes Pakistan is China’s Israel… He claims Pakistan is to China what Israel is to the US.
To use any analogy that compares Pakistan & Israel is beyond condemnable and not understandable for any point of view. pic.twitter.com/xsS53S7Iqo
— Virk Shahzaib (@VirkSh786) September 21, 2023
The interim prime Minister’s remarks raised eyebrows back in his country. Kakar has been criticized on social media for comparing Pakistan and Israel.
The prime minister apparently repeated a Chinese diplomat’s words from a report published in 2010. The remarks were previously made when a US delegate once confronted a Chinese diplomat about Beijing’s uncompromising support for Pakistan.
The Chinese reportedly responded with a heavily-loaded sarcastic remark: “Pakistan is our Israel”.
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