By NNN-APP,
Washington : U.S.-Pakistan relations have been about security but now it needs to become a strategic partnership, incoming ambassador to the United States Hussain Haqqani emphasized in an interview with The Washington Post.
The prominent US newspaper described him as an influential figure in the American capital.
U.S.-Pakistan negotiations should be as much about market share as security, Haqqani argued in a report Friday headlined “Haqqani Back in D.C., Where Everybody Knows His Name.”
“There can be no success in the war on terrorism unless we can offer jobs, education and health services for our own people,” he said. “And that will only happen when Pakistan has markets for its textiles.”
Pakistan, he said, felt insecure, in part due to the circumstances since its birth but the country “now needs to develop the kind of relationship the United States has with NATO, that they can rely on each other long term.”
Citing Husain Haqqani’s extensive contacts on the Hill, the State Department and think tanks, the report noted the ambassador-designate already knows almost everyone who counts in Washington while it takes years for diplomats to gain real influence.
“He’s one of the guys,” said Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, who has known Haqqani for more than five years. “I’ll always take a call from him.”
Berman was one of a half-dozen senior members of Congress who saw Haqqani on short notice during a recent two-day trip to Washington.
Haqqani has become the public face of Pakistan with the change in government, the report noted.
On Capitol Hill, Haqqani’s conversational skills are often compared to Washington’s master politicos, the Post writer Robin Wright observed.
“He’s a garrulous fellow who’s passionate about Pakistan, and there’s never a shortage of conversation when he’s around. He loves the engagement and loves to be in the middle of politics and bringing the parties together,” said Rep. John F. Tierney (D-Mass.), who has also known Haqqani for several years.
“He’s a man with a golden tongue who writes well and fast,” said Teresita C. Schaffer, a diplomatic colleague of Haqqani’s when the two were their nations’ top envoys to Sri Lanka.
Discussing the relationship between the two countries in the context of fight against terrorism challenges, the report said Haqqani’s main pitch would be refocusing the approach to battling terrorism and remarked he may find a receptive audience.
“I think he can play an important role in widening the level of support for Pakistan and communicating to Pakistanis the issues we consider important,” Berman said.