It is a well-established fact that America is a neighbor of every country in the world and, being powerful, it does whatever it wants. Therefore, whenever any political change takes place in America, its effects inevitably have an impact on Pakistan.
Trump’s re-assignment to the US presidency is appropriate in that the world has dealt with him and he with the world, and then after a presidential term, he has become the owner of power again. It is no secret that the situation in Afghanistan has been a very important part of Pak-US relations for the past few decades and it is also obvious that Trump was not happy with Pakistan during his previous term.
First of all, his attitude was very cold and due to this cold attitude, he was successful in making the Imran Khan government play a role in getting the US to sign an agreement with the Afghan Taliban but ignored Pakistan’s interests and Pakistan is suffering the serious consequences of this situation very badly.
To say that Trump is leaning towards India is actually to admit that we cannot convince American policymakers of our point of view.
Given Trump’s experience, it is inconceivable that he would not be aware of the situation in this region. Just before the swearing-in ceremony, he gave a speech in Washington DC. The mention of Afghanistan in this speech is very important. There is a strong perception that the way the US withdrew from Afghanistan during the Biden administration and left a large stockpile of weapons worth more or less seven billion dollars there.
Trump is a strong critic of this method. He clearly said in his speech that the financial assistance provided to Afghanistan by the US should be conditional on the return of American weapons from there to the US. Because this large stockpile of weapons has fallen into the hands of terrorists and the most interesting thing about it is that Pakistan also has the same position on this issue.
Some time ago, I was part of a military workshop, and a military officer who participated in the workshop told me that the terrorists have such advanced weapons that no institution in Pakistan has them. For example, from night vision devices to M4 rifles, can be presented.
A delegation led by an American woman recently came to Pakistan. It is reported that Pakistan has presented the same position regarding weapons to them as that of President Trump himself. Then, no matter where President Trump’s arrival is celebrated, the fact is that he believes that until now there is a terrorist government in Afghanistan.
Afghans were also involved in the incident that took place in America not long ago, and such incidents are of great importance in strengthening this opinion. This Trump stance is mentioned because if we want to improve things, we have to find commonalities of this kind, and often create them.
Emotional talk has its place, but the fact is that last year, Pakistan’s exports to America alone were $12 billion, while exports to American allies were $10 billion.
This total amounts to a huge amount of $22 billion. Then we are giving key importance to the IT sector for economic recovery, so the largest market for its products is the United States and its allies. If we keep this fact in mind, we should maintain better relations with the US, no matter who is in power in the US. However, Pakistan’s military needs are not being met by these countries now, and Pakistan is rightly expanding its ties with China and Russia in this area, and China is also cooperating with it in many defence sectors. To understand what America’s priorities will be in this region and about Pakistan, we will have to wait until the new US ambassador is appointed in Islamabad.
The US ambassadors have changed, and if a career diplomat is sent as ambassador this time, it will mean that the US currently has no big ambitions for this region and Pakistan. But if the US nominates someone as ambassador or a special representative for the region who is not a career diplomat and has a particular point of view regarding the region and Pakistan-US relations, then the effects of his thinking will inevitably be felt and policymakers in Pakistan will have to keep a close eye on it. Because China also comes into play in relations with Pakistan and the Pakistan-India conflict cannot be ignored.
To say that Trump is leaning towards India is actually to admit that we cannot convince American policymakers of our point of view. Otherwise, the fact is that Pakistan still can prevent American policy from being unilateral.
The writer is a freelance columnist.