Washington, June 4, 2026
Pakistan may have skillfully exploited openings with the Trump administration to raise its profile in Washington, but deep-rooted strategic ties between Islamabad and Beijing will ultimately limit how far the US-Pakistan relations can advance, former Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Nisha Desai Biswal, said in an exclusive interview with IANS.
She mentioned that despite the recent developments, structural realities continue to constrain the US-Pakistan relationship.
“I think that there are limits to how far the US-Pakistan relationship can go, because again, the fundamentals there have not changed,” said Biswal.
She pointed specifically to Pakistan’s longstanding links with China.
“There is a deep strategic and military relationship between Pakistan and China, an intelligence relationship as well as an economic dependency and a technology dependency,” Biswal said.
Those factors, she said, will continue to shape Washington’s calculations regardless of periodic improvements in ties.
“That is gonna give pause institutionally in the United States on how far the US Pakistan relationship can go,” she said.
“Even if there are these kind of flourishes in terms of engagement at the leader level and leadership level within Pakistan, with the Trump administration, I think that there are limits to how far that can go.”
Biswal’s comments come at a time when India has been closely watching signs of renewed engagement between Washington and Islamabad.
At the same time, Biswal noted the broader US-India partnership continues to be driven by strategic, economic and technological convergence, suggesting that concerns over Pakistan should be viewed within the larger context of Washington’s regional priorities.
Biswal served as Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs from 2013 to 2017, overseeing US relations with India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Central Asia.
US-Pakistan relations have historically fluctuated between close cooperation and periods of tension. While security cooperation dominated the relationship during the Cold War and the post-9/11 era, ties have become more complex in recent years as Washington increasingly prioritises strategic competition with China and deepens its partnership with India.(Agency)
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