FOREIGN Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch has dismissed speculations that US President-elect Donald Trump would try to influence or pressurize Pakistan’s internal politics. She said this during a weekly news briefing on Thursday in response to a question whether Trump, after becoming the President, would influence Pakistan’s internal politics and whether the Pakistan government would possibly be pressured by his Administration. Terming it as speculative reporting, she said Pakistan and the United States are old friends and partners and we will continue to pursue our relations on the basis of mutual respect, mutual confidence and non-interference in each other’s domestic affairs.
The question and the response were essentially in the context of the views being expressed by some circles that after coming into power, the new President might pressurize Pakistan for release of the jailed leader of the PTI Imran Khan. The party is lobbying hard in the United States and as a consequence sixty Congressmen recently wrote a letter to President Joe Biden to use Washington’s leverage with Islamabad for the release of the founding Chairman of the PTI and other political prisoners. However, it is worth mentioning that a spokesman of the US Administration categorically stated that the plight of Imran Khan was a matter for the judicial system of Pakistan to decide. It is also argued that Trump and Imran had good personal rapport during their tenure as President of the United States and Prime Minister of Pakistan and that is why soon after Trump started his election campaign for the 2024 race, unsubstantiated reports began circulating on social media, stating that if Trump were to win the US presidential election, it would bring favourable outcomes for Imran Khan and US-Pakistan relations. In this backdrop, the statement of senior PTI leader and former central spokesman, Raoof Hassan is quite relevant who asserted that no one in the party had ever thought that Imran would be released if Trump won the US elections. Calling the narrative “mere propaganda”, Hassan claimed that Khan’s release would only materialise after the PTI sat across the table and held dialogue with the powerful establishment in the country. This is a logical approach as irrespective of the nature of internal political differences and situation, no party should invite any foreign country to interfere in the domestic affairs of the country. Otherwise too, Pakistan and the United States have enjoyed strong relations for decades and there are legitimate expectations that these would be strengthened further during the second tenure of Donald Trump. There were apprehensions that the ‘America First’ policy might have implications for economic interests of Pakistan but prominent businessmen and leaders of trade bodies have expressed confidence that instead this might benefit the country. Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Mohammad Jawed Bilwani referred to Trump’s positive vibes from pre-election speeches relating to no income tax, raising import tariffs, ending the Ukraine-Russia war and finding a solution for the Israel-Palestine war and opined that Pakistan will certainly benefit as the end of two wars will surely bring down shipping freight, oil prices, raw material and finished goods prices. Pakistan Business Council (PBC) Chief Executive Officer Ehsan Mali believed that the US manufacturing sector would receive the highest incentives and the prospect of increased tariff on imports from some countries could open more avenues for trade for Pakistan. There is no doubt that there had been some difficult times as well in relations with the United States but despite various limitations Pakistan’s diplomats handled the situation skilfully and hopefully they will prove this again in coming months and years. The United States being the largest trading partner and export destination, there is every reason to promote bilateral ties on the basis of shared perceptions and threats.
