The centrality of the United States of America in the present-day world is such that any change in Washington has ramifications all over the world. It impacts every country – friend, foe or neutral alike. Pakistan with its long-term relationship with the US, sometimes very close, sometimes distanced but never adversarial is influenced by any change in Washington. The impact on Pakistan like all over the world will be greater when the change in Washington is as monumental as second coming of Donald Trump as the President of the United States. By the way this is for the second time in US history that a US President who lost after first term in office came back later in a subsequent election. This feat was last accomplished by Cleveland in 1893. Despite seeing ups and downs throughout seventy-five or so years of their relationships, Pakistan and the United States always enjoyed good relations. However, what is conspicuous in these relations is the fact that though Pakistan from day one wanted good relations with the United States and wanted to be an ally but that desire was not as strong in Washington. From Truman to Trump India was the first choice for all US governments and it remains so. Therefore, Pakistan, without nostalgia will have to make its policies with the fact in mind. The fact that both Pakistan and President Trump agree that the US should not have left Afghanistan in the haphazard manner it did may result in some kind of joint effort. Pakistan was taken in as an ally and given economic and military aid only when either India was not willing to play that part and/or sided with the opposing parties as during the cold war and later during Soviet intervention in Afghanistan or when there was no alternative to gaining Pakistan’s support for promotion of American interests as during the second Afghan war which started after 9/11 attacks. Whenever the United States saw an opening for it in New Delhi it grabbed the opportunity with both hands without much regards to the Pakistani sentiments or interests. Just after the independence of Pakistan and India, the United States wanted India to join the anti-communism alliances but later refused to do that and instead developed close cooperation with the Soviet Union. It did not formally join the Warsaw Pact as not doing so allowed New Delhi to simultaneously play role as leader of Non Aligned Movement, which in itself tilted towards Moscow. India joined the Warsaw Pact in its refusal to join the Japanese peace talks and subsequent Japanese Peace Treaty. It refused to support the Western Alliance in Korean War and did not join the policies aimed at containment of communism while Pakistan joined all those efforts. Though Pakistan did receive substantial and much needed economic and military aid including military hardware for the support but Washington did not take much time in coming to Indian support when it asked for the same after its border skirmishes with China in 1962. All Pakistani protests that the weapons being supplied to India for possible fight with China will be used against not against the communist giant to the north but Pakistan fell on deaf ears. To add insult to injury the United States sanctioned Pakistan as the war broke out between Pakistan and India in September 1965. Policy or placing one type of sanctions or the other and lukewarm US relations with Pakistan touching borders of animosity continued in one form or the other till Soviet intervention in Afghanistan in 1979. Again the US needed Pakistan to take Vietnam’s revenge from Moscow. Again Pakistan, though for substantial reasons of its own, obliged and both the countries enjoyed best of relationship during next ten years. It is pertinent to mention that these were the years when Pakistan was undergoing worst times in its history with regard to personal, political and religious freedoms. The honeymoon ended before the withdrawal of last Soviet soldier from Afghanistan. The United States not only stopped almost all economic and military aid for Pakistan but also imposed new sanctions and stopped delivery of weapons and ammunitions including 40 F-16 aircrafts for which Pakistan has had already paid. The cycle of lukewarm relations between the two countries and imposition of one after the other sanction by the United States on Pakistan continued till fateful day of 9/11. After the terrorist attacks, the United States again needed Pakistan to punish the Taliban administration and in Afghanistan and wipeout Osama Bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda network. Thus a new episode of warmth in Pak-US relations started during which military and aid flew towards “Non NATO Ally”, military hardware was transferred and sanctions were lifted. The honeymoon lasted for more than a decade. However, differences soon crept in. The United States increasingly believed that Pakistan was playing double game with it. It believed that Pakistan was behind the scene supporting the Taliban fighting US and allies as well as the US supported government in Afghanistan. The American frustration was succinctly expressed by a blunt Donald Trump (then President) on New Year eve 2018. He wrote, “The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid over the last fifteen years, and they have given us nothing but lies and deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools.” Detection of Osama Bin Laden near Pakistani military base in Abbottabad and US operation to kill him further complicated the matters. Raymond Davis episode where a US intelligence contractor killed two citizens in Lahore in broad daylight played the role of putting kerosene on fire. Slowly and gradually warmth in relations gave way to coldness and indifference. The military and economic aid dried up, sanctions started to creep in. The relations deteriorated to such an extent that for the first time in history of relations between the two countries there was no US ambassador in Pakistan for more than three years. Some semblance of relations continued at least till the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan as Washington needed Pakistani support to keep supplies to those troops and later withdraw the same after collapse of US installed Ghani administration in the country. However, after the withdrawal and takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban Movement again in August 2021 the relations went almost in a state of hibernation. Jubilations in Pakistan over Taliban’s takeover and haphazard US withdrawal, Prime Minister’s dubbing it “breaking the shackles of slavery” by people of Afghanistan just rubbed more salt on the American wounds. This was especially more important due to the fact that the United States for more than a decade had been accusing and complaining that Pakistan was playing double game. It was an American ally, taking aid in the name of fighting war on terror and at the same time providing shelter and support to the Taliban fighting the US and its backed government in Kabul. Though, the US appointed a fulltime ambassador in Islamabad in April 2022 but the chill in the relationship continued. President Biden made it a point of not making any contact with any Pakistani leader during his tenure. Despite efforts by Pakistan, he did not call or took the call of then Pakistani Prime Minister after his inauguration in January 2021. Though the US asked Pakistan for help in withdrawal of US troops and its supporters from Afghanistan in August 2021 but still President Biden refused to have any direct conversation even on phone with then Prime Minister Imran Khan. He never had any conversation with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif who replaced him in April 2022 or with caretaker PM Anwar Kakar. It remained the same when Shahbaz Sharif was re-elected as Prime Minister after February 2024 election. Though an unsigned congratulatory letter was sent which only further exhibited the coolness in the relations. To the contrary after the collapse of Soviet Union and liquidation of Warsaw Pact, the relations between India and the United States started developing very rapidly. The United States helped India in almost every aspect of life to build it as a pivot against China. US signed Civil Nuclear agreement with India to pledge help it nuclear programme and tried to make it a member of Nuclear Supplier Group. India is part of four nation QUAD group which also includes US, Japan and Australia with an objective to containing China. Though Pakistani defence programs are a usual target of US sanctions but it supports Indian nuclear, missiles and space programs one way of the other. No US President visited Pakistan since a twenty-four hour stop-over by junior Bush in 2006, that too came after almost seven years. However, every US President since senior Bush in mid 1990s has visited India on multiple occasions. US India top level contacts is a common occurrence while even staff level interactions with Pakistan has been quite rare in recent years. Despite its unpredictability, President Donald Trump is not likely to grossly change the trajectory of US-Pakistan relationship during his tenure. Though the United States is not likely to antagonize Pakistan and put it totally in Chinese sphere of influence, some economic support through multilateral institutions like World Bank and IMF will continue but political relations between the two countries are not going to attain any semblance of warmth of yesteryears. However, there might be one exception to this chill. The reports about increased terrorist activities in Afghanistan with Taliban government’s support or intended ignorance and President Trumps consistent talk about danger the US left weapons in Afghanistan pose and the need to take them out might require renewed US and Pakistani cooperation. The fact that both Pakistan and President Trump agree that US should not have left Afghanistan in the haphazardly manner it did and leaving the sophisticated military hardware there [Pakistan repeatedly conveyed that position to Biden administration] may result in some kind of joint effort. The manner in which the terror network existing in Afghanistan is using US left military hardware to target Pakistan since August 2021 may give added incentive to Pakistan to do that. Even without any joint effort with regard to Afghanistan relations with the United States are important for Pakistan and it needs to rebuild trust between the two counties. Besides being the sole super power in political, military and economic terms the United States is the destination of highest quantity of Pakistani exports, it is home to almost a million Pakistanis. Every tenth dollar sent to Pakistani from abroad is sent by Pakistanis working in the United States. It is destination of highest number of Pakistani students and skilled workers. Relationship with such a country cannot just be ignored. The writer is a lawyer and freelance columnist.