It is an open secret that Pakistani discontent with Washington stands at a record high and imagine if Pakistan consequently becomes the battleground of military clash between the United States and China.

As America continues its war against bearded mountain men in the Af-Pak region, experts say the US-led actions have deteriorated into a growing open conflict with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, and threatens to rapidly fall into a full-blown war with Pakistan.

Middle East Media Research Institute’s South Asia Studies Project Director Tufail Ahmad and its President Y. Carmon find in an exhaustive study that “signs of such an upcoming clash between Pakistan and the US can already be seen.”

(And) “In anticipation of such a full-scale clash with America, Pakistan is seeking an enhanced role for China on its side, thereby triggering a possible superpower clash, involving the US, China, Russia, NATO powers, and other regional players.”

Asserting that Pakistan and the US are headed towards a showdown, their inquiries reveal that the ongoing deterioration between the US on the one hand and the ISI-led Pakistani government on the other is on the verge of falling into an open clash.

It is in anticipation of a looming superpower clash that Pakistan is bolstering its military cooperation with China. It may be recalled that in April 2010, during a meeting with Chinese Executive Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya in the Bhutanese capital of Thimphu, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had called for a Chinese role in Afghanistan [as reported in The News, Pakistan, Apr.29, 2010].

Ahmad and Carmon conclude that relations between the US and China are already fragile and the Pakistan factor is introducing a military component, triggering a superpower clash.

If the clash indeed happens, will it be for the first time that this region will become a battleground? Read their Inquiry and Analysis here.

According to Washington-based public policy organisation Brookings, America’s unfavourable ratings in Pakistan consistently exceeded 50%. Pakistanis believe the US treats them as a disposable ally — a convenient friend when fighting communism or al Qaeda, but one just as easily thrown away when core American interests are no longer at stake. Brookings also feel that Pakistan is under the influence of a dangerous cocktail.

Its survey of the Pakistani attitudes reveal that the China consistently receives high marks (84% favourability in 2009). One of its papers on US-China relations read: More importantly, Islamabad considers Beijing to be the cornerstone of its foreign policy. Since the early 1960s, when Islamabad and Beijing solidified their friendship based on mutual antagonisms towards India, Beijing has wielded significant political, economic, and military influence in Islamabad. Leaders from both countries describe the relationship in lofty prose — from “higher than the Himalayas” to “deeper than the Indian Ocean.”