US scholar sees no major outcome of PTI’s lobbying in Washington

KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has approached a number of US lawmakers and key influential figures in Washington in its efforts to bring about a policy change but had "limited success" in achieving its objectives.

Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Centre think tank, spoke to Geo.tv about the PTI's efforts to win over the Biden Administration, which it had earlier accused of being responsible for its ouster in 2022.

In an apparent effort to counter the PTI, Pakistan’s ambassador to US Masood Khan is also meeting influential congressmen and recently met two senators — Lindsey Graham and Chris Van Hollen — along with increased interaction with the Pakistani-American community.

In March 2022, the former ruling party hired another lobbying firm to "build good relations with the US and the diaspora" living there despite claiming that a "foreign conspiracy" led to Khan being voted out as the prime minister in a parliamentary no-trust motion.

Some months later, the PTI chairman took a U-turn on his initial claims and shifted the blame of his ouster onto the ex-army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and vow to seek a new start with Washington.

When asked to comment on the possible outcome and whether there is any chance of a policy change, Kugelman said the PTI’s outreach on Capitol Hill had been fairly successful as dozens of congresspersons who have called for the Biden administration to take a stand on the crackdown in Pakistan, but not with the administration itself.

"The White House and State Department have continued to take a muted position," he noted.

In response to a query about how much the Pakistani government has been able to neutralise PTI's lobbying, the US scholar said the Biden administration's public silence on the situation speaks for itself.

Kugelman said that the party has “sought to patch up ties with Washington, but the administration's unwillingness to condemn the rights situation in Pakistan — whether because of its own calculations or the Pakistani government's persuasion or both — shows the limited success of PTI's efforts”.

"After all, it's the administration and not Congress that makes policy," he concluded.

The party is eyeing good ties with the US administration — which influences Pakistan monetarily and diplomatically — ahead of the general elections as it seeks to return to power.