WHILE President Donald Trump in his address to the Congress touched upon multiple issues, he in a triumphant tone also announced the arrest of operational commander of Daesh Shareefullah— an Afghan national— who had orchestrated terrorist attack at the Kabul airport on 21 August 2021 which killed 170 Afghan nationals and 13 US soldiers.
Announcing that he was on his way to USA to face justice, he expressed deep sense of gratitude to Pakistan for the role that it had played in his arrest.
His words in this regard were “Tonight, I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity…I want to thank especially the government of Pakistan for helping to arrest this monster,” The much wanted terrorist was arrested from Pak-Afghan border area on the basis of intelligence gathered by US and Pakistan agencies.
The shift in Trump’s perception of Pakistan marks a positive turn in bilateral relations.
His acknowledgment of Pakistan’s role in arresting the Daesh commander strengthens the country’s credentials in counterterrorism efforts.
US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz conveyed Trump’s appreciation to Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to continued cooperation in counterterrorism.
Dar also welcomed Trump’s decision to withdraw US military equipment left in Afghanistan, now used by the TTP in attacks on Pakistani forces.
The two leaders pledged to enhance cooperation in IT, energy, and mineral sectors, agreeing on the need for continued dialogue on trade and investment as part of a broad-based agenda for future collaboration.
It may be mentioned that during his first stint in power Trump always looked askance at Pakistan’s role in regards to fight against terrorism and situation in Afghanistan.
I believe that in view of his intense resolve to curb terrorism and his announcement to take back the arms and ammunitions from the Taliban government which was left behind by the US forces while leaving Afghanistan, he might need help from Pakistan to accomplish these objectives.
It may not be a strategic cooperation between the two countries and as usual remain confined to transactional engagement but it does promise support to Pakistan in fighting the phenomenon of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan which has assumed greater intensity recently.
This change in President Trump’s tone and tenor regarding Pakistan is significant from many other aspects as well.
It reflects a move away from the India-centric approach of the previous US administration which can safely be construed as recalibration of US policy in the region.
It is pertinent to mention that while Trump praised Pakistan in his speech he was critical of India over tariffs and trade.
It is indeed an auspicious development as instead of continuing the policy of the previous regime of pampering and propping up India to assume the role of a regional policeman by totally ignoring Pakistan, the focus will now be on transactional reciprocity.
The foregoing developments also constitute a strong rebuke to those political entities who were expecting interference from Trump for the release of their leader for which they have been lobbying before the US election in the hope that Trump would win them.
They probably conveniently ignored the fact that relations between states are not determined on personal relations but spectrum of broader national considerations.
This momentary break from the roller-coaster relations between the two countries is quite welcome at a time when Pakistan is fighting to stabilize its economy and is waging fight against terrorism on multiple fronts.
Pakistan has suffered the most as a front line state in the fight against terror.
It has lost more than eighty thousand security personnel and civilians while coping with terrorism and is still continuing that mission with unruffled commitment which deserves unqualified acknowledgment and appreciation from the global community.
As far as bilateral relations between US and Pakistan are concerned their nature will be dictated by the new realities and US administration’s quid pro quo approach.
One thing needs to be understood that there cannot be friendship in the real sense between a super power and a developing country like Pakistan.
In the past US has been an unfriendly ally to be precise.
It only has been in embrace with Pakistan when it suited her interests and no sooner than those interests were realized it showed a cold shoulder to her.
In the early 1950s, Pakistan joined SEATO and CENTO to counter the spread of communism, hoping for a strong alliance with the US.
However, during the 1965 war, the US halted military aid instead of supporting Pakistan.
The two countries later engaged through the Afghan conflict, but the US abandoned Pakistan after the war’s conclusion.
Pakistan played a key role in facilitating the US-Taliban deal for the American withdrawal, but relations deteriorated further under the Biden administration.
The US imposed sanctions on Pakistan’s missile program and related entities, pushing bilateral ties to their lowest point.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Islamabad.
