Reports from American media on Sunday suggest that highly classified documents from the US intelligence community have been leaked. These documents contain internal assessments of Pakistani policymakers and their response to the growing rivalry between the US and China.
One of the leaked documents reveals that the US had access to a confidential memo authored by Hina Rabbani Khar, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, which urged Pakistan to avoid maintaining a “middle ground” between China and the US.
The memo, titled “Pakistan’s Difficult Choices,” advised Pakistan to avoid the impression of appeasing the West and to prioritize its “real strategic” partnership with China over its partnership with the US. The intelligence document did not provide any information on how the US obtained access to Khar’s memo.
Another document, dated February 17, described discussions between Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and a subordinate regarding an upcoming UN vote on the Ukraine conflict. The document revealed that the Pakistani government anticipated renewed Western pressure to support a resolution condemning Russia’s invasion.
The aide advised Sharif that supporting the measure could signal a shift in Pakistan’s stance, jeopardizing its ability to negotiate trade and energy deals with Russia. When the UN General Assembly voted on February 23, Pakistan was one of 32 countries that abstained. Despite Khar’s views, it remains unclear whether Pakistan will publicly align itself with China.
