- The unpredictability may be disconcerting for many. However, some commentators see the change in the US as an opportunity.
Khaleej Times
Waqar Mustafa
Pakistan has had diplomatic relations with the US since its creation in 1947. The relationship between the two countries has always had its highs and lows, marked by mutual mistrust and marriages of convenience but has never totally unravelled. Pakistan has once been the third-largest recipient of US foreign assistance. Now, amid warming US military and business relations with India, Washington has cut military and economic aid to Islamabad sharply in recent years — less than $1 billion in 2016, down from a recent peak of more than $3.5 billion in 2011, according to US government data — saying it is increasingly getting frustrated with the country’s support for the Taleban in neighbouring Afghanistan. Pakistan denies the charge. Trump victory rattled financial markets worldwide, including the one in Pakistan. Commentators are unsure on how Trump will approach his country’s Pakistan policy.
As quoted by English-language daily Dawn, Reema Omar, a legal adviser for the International Commission of Jurists, says that “traditionally Republicans have been closer to Pakistan, especially the establishment; but Trump isn’t your traditional Republican. I think Trump’s presidency has greater significance domestically in the US. (It is symptomatic of) the shift towards politics of hate and fear in the western world. What it means for Pakistan, who knows”.
The unpredictability may be disconcerting for many. However, some commentators see the change in the US as an opportunity.
“While Pakistan has to go through the history of its troubled relations with the United States for better future prospects, it’s time for the country to review its policies on how to deal better with militancy and its sources, and how to deal better with the neighbouring countries,” comments Nusrat Amin. “Frankly, at this stage of history, we are actually getting short of space, options and time!”
Fears pop up too.
Alluding to the challenges and pressures Pakistan has been facing under a Democrat president, Barack Obama, lawyer and political commentator Babar Sattar’s tweet comes up with fears. “Just remember it’s much preferable dealing with challenging policy than hate/bigotry”.
Former president Pervez Musharraf said in a Facebook comment: “I hope he (Donald Trump) will focus keenly to bring peace and stability around the world and demonstrate deliberate leadership in resolving the conflicts in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. We must trust and work together to crush terrorism and eliminate extremism from a position of strength.”
