Pakistan played partisan role during US polls, favoured Trump, annoyed Biden: Report

Amid strained ties between the United States and Pakistan, a new report has revealed that Afghanistan was not the reason for US President Joe Biden's unfriendliness against Pakistan. Former Pakistan Interior Minister Abdul Rehman Malik revealed that Joe Biden was miffed with Pakistan for its partisan role in favour of former US President Donald Trump during the 2020 US election campaign. Speaking to The News International, Malik also informed that the Pakistani Embassy in Washington was used as Trump's election office. This was found out by Joe Biden.

"During the US presidential election, a Pakistani businessman used the Pakistani Embassy in Washington as Trump's election office and when President Joe Biden found out about it, he got annoyed," Malik told The News International.

In addition, Malik also advised Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to pen a letter to the United States President and clarify the country's position. He added that the 'ice had not melted yet' between the two countries and therefore the two sides did not talk, The News International reported.

US distances itself from broad-based ties with Pakistan

Recently, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman visited Pakistan. However, the visit was more focused on Afghanistan's current situation instead of discussions on broad-based ties between Washington and Islamabad. The same was confirmed by US State Department's statement on Shermans's engagements which indicated the centrality of the Afghan issue in US-Pakistan talks.

It is pertinent to mention that Sherman, at an event in Mumbai on last Thursday clearly declared that Washington no longer sees itself building a 'broad-based relationship' with Pakistan. She made these remarks before her trip to Islamabad and also added that she was going there with a 'specific and narrow purpose' of talks on Afghanistan. However, in spite of the differences between the two countries on Afghanistan and other issues, the Biden administration will continue its engagement with Pakistan, the media reports stated. The focus will be on four major points: Recognition of the Taliban government in Kabul, international sanctions on Afghanistan, access to the land-locked country and counter-terrorism cooperation, the media reports added.

(With ANI inputs)