Mushahid sees positive shift in US policy towards Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: While avoiding a direct response to a question about his previous prediction that Trump would intervene for the release of Imran Khan, Senator Mushahid Hussain on Wednesday emphasized the positive shift in US policy towards Pakistan.

Talking with The News, Senator Mushahid Hussain addressed the evolving dynamics between the US and Pakistan, especially in the light of President Donald Trump’s praise for Pakistan’s role in counterterrorism efforts. Hussain noted that Trump’s State of the Union speech, which highlighted Pakistan’s efforts in capturing terrorists related to the Kabul attack, was significant for several reasons.

First, it marked the first public acknowledgment of Pakistan by Trump since he took office. Second, it indicated a potential shift in US foreign policy towards South Asia, moving away from the India-centric approach of President Biden’s administration, which had often sidelined Pakistan. Third, the mention of Pakistan in such an important speech suggested a growing collaboration between Pakistan and the US in counterterrorism and intelligence sharing, particularly regarding Afghanistan. The senator also pointed out that while Pakistan received praise, India faced criticism from Trump over trade tariffs. This, he claimed, hinted at a possible recalibration of US policy in the region. “This is good news for Pakistan, as this was President Trump’s first public reference to Pakistan after assuming office, and, that too in his important State-of-Union Address.”

His statement is significant for a number of reasons: a) Pakistan was praised publicly in the most important, most watched-speech of the American President which was watched all over the US and all over the world; b) President Trump’s speech shows an apparently close convergence/cooperation/coordination between Pakistan and US on counter terrorism and intelligence sharing, with particular regard to Afghanistan; c) while Pakistan was mentioned favourably, in the same speech, India was criticised strongly by President Trump over tariffs and trade; d) It now seems that the previous President Biden’s India-centric, South Asia policy is witnessing change, during which Pakistan was totally ignored and India was pampered, propped and pushed to assume role of ‘regional policeman”, said Mushahid Hussian. Hussain had previously made headlines by predicting that the PTI lobby within the Trump administration could be more influential than Pakistan’s own government lobby, suggesting that Trump would play a role in securing Imran Khan’s release. He argued that Trump, being a non-traditional politician, made decisions based on personal preferences rather than bureaucratic processes, and that his strong ties with Imran Khan could lead to political maneuvering that might influence Khan’s fate.