ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Asad Majeed Khan has said it was “not realistic” to expect Islamabad and Washington to have the same relations that they had in the past.

The envoy’s comments come after meetings between Pakistani officials and US deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman in Islamabad last week that were described by media and experts as “strained” amid a worsening relationship between Washington and Islamabad as each searches for a way forward in a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

Sherman’s visit followed Republican senators pressing for legislation back home that calls for sanctions on Pakistan for providing safe haven for the Taliban — Islamabad denies this. The move has raised hackles among Pakistan’s leaders, who have slammed Washington for what they say is the unjust blaming of Pakistan for America’s losses in Afghanistan — especially after seeking and receiving Islamabad’s help in the protracted peace talks with the Taliban.

Sherman also came to Pakistan straight from a visit to its arch-foe India where she told a gathering the US did not see itself building a “broad relationship” with Islamabad.

“Looking at the thrust of our relationship, we might not have the same [kind of relationship with US] again, as we had in the past. And I think to have that kind of expectation are not realistic,” Ambassador Khan said in an interview with Pakistan’s Geo News on Tuesday.

However, he added that the “content of our [Pak-US] bilateral talks is positive.”

US has repeatedly come under criticism for its hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan and the speed at which Afghan cities fell, in days rather than the months predicted by US intelligence. Pakistan has said US criticism of Islamabad in recent days is an attempt to “scapegoat” the country for its own failures in Afghanistan.

“In this country [US], there is a lot of criticism on the Biden administration, many people in mainstream media are criticizing his withdrawal [from Afghanistan] policy. Since we had a vital role in Afghanistan so that is why we come under cross fire,” Khan said.

After Sherman’s meeting with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, his office said he had told the visiting dignitary Islamabad sought a “broad-based, long-term and lasting relationship” with the United States based on economic cooperation and the mutual promotion of peace in the region.

In a separate statement released after a meeting with Sherman, the Pakistani army chief also called for a “multi-domain” relationship.