LAHORE: “United States president Donald Trump’s policy towards South Asia is reflective of his ethno-centric behaviour,” Dr Farhat Haq said on Thursday. She was delivering the keynote speech at a panel discussion on “American Foreign Policy in the Age of Trump and its Implications for Pakistan”. Dr Haq, the chairperson of the American Institute of Pakistan Studies, said Trump was jealous of previous regimes in the US, adding that his behaviour was proving detrimental for US’s relations with its allies. Further, she said there were voices within the US policy circles and the public that regarded his policy infantile and against the interests of the country. She stressed the need for creating a pool of social scientists and humanists to discuss the wider implications of Trump’s policy for the world. Other speakers at the discussion were PHEC chairman Dr Mohammad Nizamuddin, Government College University (GCU) vice chancellor Dr Hassan Amir Shah, University of Education (UoE) Lahore VC Rauf-e-Azam, Govt Sadiq College for Women University, Bahawalpur, VC Dr Talat Afza, analyst Salman Abid, and LUMS School of Humanities and Social Sciences dead Dr Kamran Asdar Ali. PHEC chairman Dr Nizamuddin said that Pakistan needed to make rational decisions regarding its foreign policy in the wake of Trump’s policy statements concerning the country. “The interests of the two countries are interdependent. A hasty and offensive decision would be detrimental,” he said. Dr Nizamuddin urged the policy makers to adopt a very cautious and rational approach in their response to Trump’s latest statements. “The interests of the two countries have long been associated with each other:. They have huge strategic stakes, trade relations, and are allies on war against terrorism. Any provocation or reactionary approach could seriously backfire,” he emphasised. “Ground realities must be considered. The US has the lions share in most of the funding of the United Nations and its agencies, an irresponsible move could cost us dearly,” he said. Dr Nizam proposed setting up a Center for Research and Policy Development in Pakistan in collaboration with American Institute of Pakistan Studies. Answering a question about the US State Department, GCU VC Dr Hassan Amir Shah highlighted that there were multiple voices among think tanks and the general public in the US, and many among them were opposed to Trump’s belligerence. “People in the policy corridors in the US, as we hear from the media, are criticising Trump. They recognise the role of Pakistan in the war against terrorism.” Discussing options to effectively deal with Trump’s policies, Salman Abid emphasised the need to adopt policies that ensured economic stability, curtailed civil-military trust deficit, and were sustainable, rather than reactionary. “We need to strengthen our ties with our neighbours. Instead of just being outraged, we should think on pragmatic and symbiotic lines,” he said. The event was organised by the Media and Publications Cell of Punjab Higher Education Commission and was attended by deans and faculty members of Lahore-based universities, DGs and senior PHEC officers, as well as students. Published in Daily Times, January 12th 2017.