November 23, 2022

‘COAS Not PM, Decides How US-Pak Ties Shape Up’

Featuring: Lisa Curtis

Source: Dawn

Journalist: Anwar Iqbal

Former prime min­ister Imran Khan’s return to power — or not — will not have much impact on the future of US-Pakistan relations as such decisions in Islam­abad are taken by the army chief, not the prime minister.

“I don’t think the future of US-Pakistan relations hinges on who will be the PM in Pakistan… more important is who will be the chief of army staff,” said Lisa Curtis, who looked after South and Central Asian affairs at the Trump White House, adding it was the army that controlled decision-making on issues important to the US, such as the nuclear programme, Pakistan’s relations with India, and counter-terrorism.

But Ms. Curtis also said this kind of hybrid democracy would not be good for Pakistan as it’s “an inherently unstable form of government”.

Read the full story and more from Dawn News.

Author

  • Lisa Curtis

    Senior Fellow and Director, Indo-Pacific Security Program

    Lisa Curtis is a senior fellow and director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). She is a foreign policy and national securit...