Pakistan Secretly Lobbying for a Defense Pact with China!

Pakistan seems to have been secretly lobbying in recent months for a bilateral defense pact with China. The efforts have been met with caution in Beijing, however, and officials say there is little hope for an immediate breakthrough. Diplomatic and military officials told "the Express Tribune" that Pakistan made overtures to China early this year, when its relationship with the US was weakened by several controversies. Islamabad used backdoor and regular diplomatic channels in an attempt to convince the Chinese leadership that the agreement was mutually beneficial, the officials said. "Our view is, and it is also shared by authorities in Beijing to an extent, that this will send a strong signal to the world that Pakistan is not alone - an emerging world power is standing behind it," an official said. He added that Pakistan formally raised the issue during a visit by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to China early this year, immediately after the killing of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden by US commandos. "He put forward Pakistan's desire formally," said an official who was privy to the development, but requested that his name not be mentioned, due to the sensitivity of the issue. However, the Chinese leadership, officials say, advised Pakistan not to push for an agreement that could put Islamabad and Beijing in trouble with both Washington and Delhi. A spokesman for the foreign ministry refused to either confirm or deny that Pakistan was seeking a formal pact with China, though both countries cooperate extensively in defense production and civil nuclear technology.