KARACHI, Aug 31: Former ambassador Karamatullah Khan Ghori said the US-Pakistan relations are that of "a master and a client" whereas Washington's dealings with New Delhi were long-term, perhaps aimed at countering China in the future.

He said this while speaking at the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs on the "American role in the Near East and South Asia". He said the current phase of Pakistan-US relations was dictated by the developments taking place since the 9/11 tragedy when the main thrust of the American policy was on the war on terror.

He cautioned that the situation might not remain the same forever and a change of guard in the White House might shift the emphasis. Ambassador Ghori said that once the current objectives of the US policy on war on terror were achieved, Pakistan may lose its present significance.

On the contrary, the Indo-US relationship was based on long term economic and strategic interests. In this context he also referred to Indo-Israel relations, which had become significant in the field of military cooperation.

In the context of Pakistan-US relations, the former ambassador said the US could not have waged a "jihad" against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan without the help of Pakistan and the Afghans. But, he pointed out that the US provided Pakistan no help in dealing with the Taliban.

With regard to the recent American invasion of Iraq, Ambassador Ghori was of the view that it was driven by the objective of controlling oil resources, and also to keep Israel powerful enough to deal with its Arab neighbours.

The implementation of the neo-conservative agenda by the Bush administration was in fact the realisation of Henry Kissinger's advocacy for the physical capture of the oil fields after the 1973 oil embargo.

Tracing the emergence of the US as a sole global power, especially since the demise of the Soviet Union, he said, the US was exerting influence far beyond its territorial confines, through a cluster of bases. "The discovery of oil in the early 20th century gave impetus to its present policies."

He said that the US and British militaries had actually made plans to launch such an operation. He was of the view that the US vital interests in oil were reflected by its presence in the Gulf. He traced the phases in the US policy of extending its influence and control over resources and how its policies had unsettled the region.

Ambassador Ghori, who has served in Kuwait and other capitals, said the American CIA's claim of Saddam having the weapons of mass destruction and its involvement in the 9/11 incident couldn't be substantiated.

He said, earlier, the 12 year sanctions imposed on Iraq had killed 1.5 million Iraqis, while people were reduced to the level of rats owing to lack of facilities and hardships.

Referring to the present situation in Iraq and the region, ambassador Ghori said the US had mounted a tiger, but it did not know now how to dismount. He said the neo-conservative agenda aimed at protecting not only its military interests but its corporate interests as well.