Hillary Clinton: Exclusive Talk with Dr. Moeed Pirzada

Dr. Moeed Pirzada recorded an exclusive interview with Hillary Clinton in Washington D.C, US Secretary of State on the sidelines of US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue, July 2010.

Dr. Pirzada raised important questions on Strategic dialogues importance and concerns of Pakistani public as these dialogues are taking place in context of Afghanistan, however Pakistan, faces serious dilemmas regarding its partnership with the U.S. Though the U.S. and Pakistan share decades of friendship, the relationship has remained unstable. Number of issues like water, energy, economic cooperation, security, education, communication and diplomacy were identified on the agenda of this meeting but no signs of meaningful progress on the issue of Free trade agreement between US and Pakistan. So the question remains: How will this relationship sustain itself in the post-Afghanistan scenario?

Dr. Pirzada also pointed out the issue of water and problems linked with this in the context of South Asia. Will the U.S play a role of a mediator between India and Pakistan on the issue of water, keeping in view the original essence of Indus Water Treaty? Dr. Pirzada asked US Secretary of State if any progress is expected on US-Pak Civilian Nuclear Cooperation and U.S concerns related to Pakistan’s Nuclear Arsenal during these strategic dialogues?