The renewed debate on Pakistan not taking sides stemmed from the recent Democracy Summit convened by US President Joe Biden. In a carefully crafted statement, Pakistan politely turned down the US invitation. Before taking the decision Pakistan consulted China and it is said Beijing was keen in making sure Islamabad stayed away from the US initiative. “Pakistan declined to attend the democracy summit. This time it was China that played a role in the final decision of Pakistan on Democracy Summit.

Source: The Express Tribune December 13, 2021 20:01 UTC