Nepal, April 18 -- How should Pakistan choose between the US and China? So far, a choice has not been foisted upon us, but the time is coming when it will be. Before that time arrives, it is a good idea to devote some structured thinking to the matter and be prepared to act.

Not too long ago, a piece of advice was offered by Hina Rabbani Khar, one-time minister of state for finance and foreign minister of the country and an otherwise very smart individual whose words deserve to be taken seriously. In an internal memo that was leaked in April 2023, she cautioned against trying to appease the West and underlined the importance of maintaining the "real strategic" tie-up with China, despite mounting Western pressure. In a separate interview,...