Reaction to ‘postponement’ of President Putin’s visit to Pakistan is quite interesting. Conspiracy theorist blame American and Indian pressure, some also talk about American pressure via Saudi Arabia. Over the last two years or so, there has been a quantum jump in high level Pakistan-Russia interactions. Hence, expectations have been snowballing in the context of a pleasant reset of bilateral relations. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Viktorovich Lavrov visited Pakistan and General Kayani visited Russia on the heels of postponement of the Presidential visit. This indicates that it is not a crisis situation.
Bumpy Pak-US relations have prompted an urge in Pakistan to balance out and diversify its interests. Decades of reliance on America has resulted in multifaceted and lopsided dependencies. As of now, Pakistan can only act as a mere spectator against US policies and demands. Hence, when Obama said he had no time in New York to meet with President Zardari, no one was surprised. Obama had acted in a similar way during the NATO conference in Chicago.
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