Situationer
LAHORE:While there is no doubt that an overwhelming majority of resident Pakistanis and the Pakistani-Americans had started supporting the likely US President Hillary Clinton and bashing Donald Trump vehemently after the latter hadcalled for a ban on Muslims from entering the United States, a good number of Indian people and a large section of their media had developed a strong liking for Trumpbecauseduring the last leg of his election campaign, the $3.7 billion real estate tycoon had described Premier Narendra Modi as a "great man" and had publicly admitted he was a "great fan of the Hindus."
But having said that, there are still a lot of people in India who think Hillary had played a crucial role in encouraging her husband Bill Clinton to revive the India-US relationship during his presidency, which had hit its lowest ebb following their country's 1998 nuclear tests.
Unhappy memories for Pakistan during Hillary's stint as US Secretary of State:It was during Hillary Clinton's tenure as US Secretary of State that a CIA contractor Raymond Allen Davis had reportedly killed two "armed" men in Lahore onJanuary 27, 2011.Although the United States had contended that he was protected by diplomatic immunity because of his employment with the US Consulate in Lahore, Davis was jailed and charged by the Pakistani authorities with double murder and the illegal possession of a firearm.
On March 16, 2011, Davis was released after the families of the two killed men were paid $2.4 million in form of monetary compensation or blood money. Hillary was extremely active in getting Davis released and flown out of Pakistan.
The incident had led to a diplomatic furor and deterioration in Pakistan-US ties, besides resulting in the resignation of the then Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi after he had stood firm contending that since Davis was not a diplomat, he could not be given blanket diplomatic immunity.
Hillary was still the US Secretary of State when Al-Qaeda Chief Osama bin Laden was hunted down in Pakistan by the US Marines on May 2, 2011.
The June 2, 2014 edition of the "Washington Post" had read: "She (Hillary) gave unwavering support for the raid into Pakistan almost as soon as she heard it might be possible, and before President Obama had made up his mind."
The raid was supported by over 90 per cent of the American public; it was welcomed by the United Nations, NATO, the European Union, and a large number of governments.
However, the US act was condemned by two-thirds of the Pakistani public and organizations like the Amnesty International, which had stated that the legal and ethical aspects of the killing, such as his not being taken alive despite being unarmed, were not taken into account by the US policy-makers.
(References: The Pew Research Center, Amnesty International, Reuters news agency and the Associated Press etc)
Much like the Pakistanis, who think the Pak-US relationship has always been turbulent and uncertain since October 20, 1947 when Washington DC had first shook hands with a newly-established Muslim state justtwo months and six days after its inception, Indians also feel the same way.
Pakistani arguments in favour of Hillary Rodham Clinton:In October 2009, Hillary had delivered a speech in Pakistan about the war against the militants. She had said: "We commend the Pakistani military for their courageous fight, and we commit to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Pakistani people in your fight for peace and security."
On October 29, 2009, soon after an explosion had rocked Peshawar's Meena Bazaar area, Hillary had touched down in Islamabad for talks with government officials.
The famous "Al-Jazeera" Television had reported: " Speaking in the Pakistani capital she expressed her support for the military's offensive against the Taliban and pledging continued US assistance."
Hillary, the only US presidential wife ever to be questioned in a criminal case called the "Whitewater scandal," was quoted as saying: "These extremists are committed to destroying what is dear to you and us. So, this is our struggle as well, and we commend the Pakistani military for their courageous fight, and we commit to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Pakistani people in your fight for peace and security."
It was in October 2009, the US Congress had approved $7.5 billion of non-military aid to Pakistan over the next five years via the Kerry-Lugar Bill.
On December 1, 2009, President Obama, in his speech on a policy about Pakistan, had stated: "In the past, we too often defined our relationship with Pakistan narrowly. Those days are over.... The Pakistani people must know America will remain a strong supporter of Pakistan’s security and prosperity long after the guns have fallen silent, so that the great potential of its people can be unleashed. In the past, we too often defined our relationship with Pakistan narrowly, those days are over. Moving forward, we are committed to a partnership with Pakistan that is built on a foundation of mutual interests, mutual respect and mutual trust" and that the two countries "share a common enemy' in combating Islamic extremism."
In February 2010, US President Obama had sought to increase funds to Pakistan to "promote economic and political stability in strategically important regions where the United States has special security interests."
In February 2010, the Obama administration requested an additional $3 billion in aid for Pakistan to defeat Al-Qaeda, for a total of $20.7 billion.
In February 2010, Anne Patterson, the US Ambassador to Pakistan, had viewed that the United States was committed to partnership with Pakistan and had remarked: "Making this commitment to Pakistan while the United States is still recovering from the effects of the global recession reflects the strength of our vision. Yet we have made this commitment, because we see the success of Pakistan, its economy, its civil society and its democratic institutions as important for ourselves, for this region and for the world."
Between 2002 and 2010, Pakistan had received approximately $18 billion in military and economic aid from the United States.
It was in mid-February 2010 that the White House had hailed the operation that had led to the capture of the second most powerful Taliban, Abdul Ghani Baradar, in Pakistan by the Pakistani forces.
The White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs had said: "It is a "big success for our mutual efforts and Pakistan must be praised for it."
In March 2010, Richard Holbrooke, the then US special envoy to Pakistan, had said that US-Pakistani relations had seen "significant improvement" under Obama. He also said: "No government on earth has received more high-level attention than Pakistan."
(References: The Times of India, the Reuters, the CNN and AFP)
Another Indian website had remarked: "It is the Republicans who are more worried about China, and who wish to bring India on board as an ally. Democrats tend to like dictators, and thus are far more enamored of the Pakistani Army – we have seen Obama’s and John Kerry’s largesse to Pakistan despite much evidence of their perfidy. It is very likely that in a Hillary Clinton presidency, her chief of staff might be Huma Abedin, a close aide who is a Pakistani-American, and no friend of India."
Indian arguments in favour of Hillary:Although many Indians like Donald Trump because he is building a luxury business tower in premium location in Mumbai, they are reminded by people around them that only two years ago, outgoing US president Barack Obama and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi had set the goal of increasing bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2020, meaning thereby that the plant nourished by Obama and Modi would continue to grow and blossom under Hillary, who is the only former resident of the White House who is in the fray, and may even be the only one ever in country's history.
While the United States has become India’s largest defense supplier as the defense trade between the two countries surpassed the $14 billion mark in 2015, a good number of Indians see it as a healthy sign for further fostering the Indo-US ties.
During her 1995 visit to India on an invitation of Mother Teresa to visit her home for children, Hillary is said to be the one who piqued the then President's interest in the country, justifying the economic reforms that India was making then. This was thetime when India was nowhere within the economic radar of the US. This particular tour had ended in her meeting with Prime Minister Narasimha Rao and Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi. She returned to India in 1997 with daughter Chelsea for the funeral of Mother Teresa.
They maintain that during her tenure as US secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, she further consolidated the deepening engagement between the two countries by facilitating cooperation between the two countries in the field of high technology and defense, and for establishing a strategic dialogue between the two nations in July 2009.
The pro-Hillary section of the Indian media, although in minority, has been lauding her strong stand against Pakistan for its "dismal performance in eliminating terrorist havens" and her viewpoint that Washington DC should not give any blank cheques to Pakistan. Her supporters in India believe that during her term as Secretary of State, India and the US had launched a ministerial-level strategic dialogue in July 2009 that focused on five interests strategic cooperation; energy and climate change; education and development; economy, trade and agriculture; science and technology; and health and innovation.
Research shows that Hillary had also played an important role in strengthening ties with New Delhi under president Obama’s visit to Asia.
And her 2011 speech in Chennai was viewed as a historic moment for bilateral ties between the two countries. She had stated: "The time has come for India to lead…Much of the history of the 21st century will be written in Asia which, in turn, will be influenced by the partnership between the US and India and its relationship with neighbours." Shealso said that India should "not just look east, but engage east and act east" to emerge as and consolidate its status as an Asian power.
When Iran was economically isolated for its alleged nuclear programmes and India was under immense pressure to cut the import of oil from the country, Hillary is said to have diverted the attention from the issue and tone down the alarm in alliance between India and Iran.
Many Indians adore Hillary the way she had stood firm by the then Indian external affairs minister S.M Krishna, who had urged Pakistan to end homegrown terrorism in 2012. Archives reveal that Hillary had then blatantly blamed Pakistan for "sheltering" Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri.
As a symbolical protest against the November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks, she had opted to stay at the Taj Mahal Hotel.
On November 4, 2016, the "Indian Express" had held: "As for India, several of her closest advisers, including campaign chairman John Podesta and foreign policy aide, Jake Sullivan, have ties with India. Hillary co-chaired the Senate India Caucus and supported the India-US Civil Nuclear Agreement. During her tenure as the secretary of state, she played an important role in strengthening ties with New Delhi. She is much more inclined to take a harder line on Pakistan. Of the 400 drone strikes in Pakistan under Obama, about 300 of them were on Hillary’s watch as secretary of state. I would speculate, however, that her relationship with Modi will not be quite as warm as the one that Obama enjoyed."
The newspaper had observed: "Trump’s improbable campaign has been outrun by Hillary’s preparation and poise under pressure, but, most significantly, it has been trumped by Trump himself. Terrible debate performances, attacks on women, fondness for tax dodging, refusal to accept the election outcomes (if he loses), insults, directed at over 280 people, places and things on Twitter alone, collectively — and finally — are taking a toll."
The "Indian Express" had gone on to write: "As for trade deals, she is going to be in a tough position. It is clear she favours trade agreements, even though she has campaigned against them. Her long experience with the political dance known as the pivot is going to come into good use. As for Trump, the man is unlikely to go gently into the night. He may launch a series of lawsuits or Trump TV. He has already been hawking his golf courses and a new hotel. But then, Hillary might do what Obama did for her: Extend an olive branch by giving a former rival a spot in the new administration. My pick for Hillary’s olive branch to Trump: The US ambassadorship to Russia."
The April 26, 2016 edition of a prestigious Indian newspaper "The Hindu" states: "If elected president of the United States, Hillary Clinton will take relations with India to a new level and better economic and strategic ties with India will anchor the U.S in the region, her campaign chief has said. John Podesta, Chairman of Ms. Clinton's campaign committee said a future Democratic administration under Ms. Clinton will have a significant presence of Indian Americans. Mr. Podesta, who served as chief of staff to President Bill Clinton and as advisor to President Barack Obama, said successive presidents have been in agreement on strengthening relations with India, and Ms. Clinton would "follow in that tradition."
The Indian media house had asserted: "The campaign chief was speaking to journalists after the inauguration of Indian-Americans for Hillary Clinton (IAHC) a platform that seeks to mobilize the community in swing states where the contest will be close in November.
"The Hindu" had then quoted John Podesta as saying: "She helped lay the foundation for the relationship that I had the opportunity to build on when I was working for President Obama, to deepen the relationship with Prime Minister Modi, to get an outcome at the Paris negotiations, and the ambitious clean energy agenda India has set."