American military training programmes have long been a cornerstone of the bilateral relationship with Pakistan. Yet all this is about to change as Trump Town has confirmed that it is pulling the plug on them. Of course, this is not the first time that such practical assistance has been suspended. The last time was back in the 1990s when the White House refused to rule out Pakistani nuclear capability. Since then, conventional wisdom in elite Washington circles admits this was a gross misstep. If for no other reason than robbing both sides of valuable communication channels as well as professional relationships that are meant to withstand political bickering. Fast-forward to the present, however, and the timing alone is worrisome; coming as it does before Prime Minister-elect Imran Khan and the government he is forming have taken over at the helm. Indeed, at face-value it suggests a show of no-confidence in the new set-up. This is unfair. For it immediately places on the back-foot any attempts at reworking bilateral ties. A far more pragmatic approach therefore would have been for Washington to hold off until talks with the PTI-led regime had taken place. This holds especially true if President Trump is as keen to resolve the Afghan quagmire as he contends. Or maybe he simply missed Imran’s victory speech in which the latter clearly recognised Kabul as having suffered the most in the war on terror; before going on to commit to peace and the ultimate goal of open borders. Semantics-wise this was an important message in as much as it did not follow the traditional script of how no other nation has endured more than Pakistan; a point not lost on the Afghan president who promptly invited Kaptaan to Kabul. In reality, the cancellation of the $2.4-million International Military Education and Training (IMET) programme may not hurt Pakistan in the short-term. The country has recently signed a similar scheme with Russia. That being said, pundits are viewing the US move as being possibly politically fuelled. After all, Islamabad has repeatedly ruled out sending troops to Yemen; and also to Syria. Both conflicts are largely seen as proxy wars between Iran and regional powers that enjoy American backing. Then there is the not un-small matter of Pakistan categorically stating that it will pursue economic ties with Tehran regardless of pressure from Washington. It is thus possible that the Trump presidency has not understood prevailing dynamics. Meaning that the Pakistani state will settle for nothing less than a partnership built on equal footing and sovereign respect. That is, one of true allies. Not frenemies. * Also read Pakistan suspends military, intel cooperation with the US Published in Daily Times, August 12th 2018.