Donald Trump’s rant against Pakista Leading US, Indian media houses think it’s ounterproductive

NDTV says Twitter attack will further strengthen close ties between Islamabad, Beijing; Washington Post says American military aid scaled back several times in past, none of it has worked; The Newsweek says move could endanger US troops in Middle East; The Forbes cites China’s defence of Pakistan; The Foreign Policy magazine says hardly a sweeping punishment to persuade

Sabir Shah

LAHORE: Innumerable globallyacclaimed American and Indian media houses have critically analysed US President Donald Trump’s January 1, 2018 Twitter tirade against Pakistan, opining thatwhile aid cuts against Islamabad have not worked in the past, any financial offensive such as this has all the potential to endanger the lives of US troops in the Middle East and further cement the rather strong Pak- China relationship. In his January 1 tweet, the world super power’s head of state had claimed that his country has got nothing but “lies and deceit” for the $33 billion in aid Washington DC had doled out to various regimes at the helm of affairs in Islamabad between 2002 and 2018. These American and Indian news channels, newspapers and magazines have viewed that Trump’s statement has ignited fury in Pakistan, and has gone on to invoke sentiments of support and jubilation in India and Afghanistan for natural reasons. Following Trump’s strongworded outburst against Pakistan, here follow brief excerpts fromsome of the leading US and Indian media outlets: NDTV: The State Bank of Pakistan has announced it has taken steps to ensure the use of the Chinese Yuan in bilateral trade and financing transactions. A Twitter attack by US President against Pakistan on New Year’s Day will further strengthen the already close ties between Islamabad and Beijing, a report in a leading Chinese daily said. In his first tweet of 2018, Trump charged Pakistan with deceit and treachery and cut off all further aid to Islamabad for harbouring terrorists US troops were hunting in Afghanistan. The Washington Post: In one of her recent articles for the Washington Post, renowned Indian journalist, Barkha Dutt, states: Howseriously should one take President Trump’s tweets? His first tweet of 2018, calling out of the “lies and deceit” of Pakistan, had pretty much all of India whooping in approval. Trump’s remarks on Pakistan’s failure to act against the terrorist groups it has cultivated, and his administration’s subsequent announcement that it would be freezing nearly all of its millions of dollars in security assistance to Pakistan, was a “gotcha” moment for New Delhi. For years, Pakistan’s deep state (controlled by its all-powerful military and covert agencies) has used terrorismas an instrument of asymmetric warfare both in India and Afghanistan. For Indians, Trump’s tweet and the suspension of funds was a moment of vindication. But the unfortunate reality is that publicly shaming Pakistan, as Trump has done, and even the cuts in security aid have very little real impact on a country whose skin has grown comfortably thick from rhetorical battering. Pakistan survives in the smug belief that after the United States’ grandstanding is done and over, Washington will eventually turn to it for mopping up its half-finishedmess in Afghanistan. Holding back the dollars every few years is just a nip and tuck,when what’s really needed is a surgical uprooting of terrorist support systems inside Pakistan. It is telling that (notwithstanding the temptation to gloat) India’s foreign ministry avoided any hasty comment on Trump’s Twitter rant. But Indian officials are aware that while Trump’s bombastic outburst gives the impression of a dramatic first-time tectonic shift in policy, Americanmilitary aid has been scaled back from Pakistan several times in the past, including most recently during the Obama years. In 2011, the Obama administration suspended $800 million of military aid two months after U.S. Navy SEALs took out Osama bin Laden in a residential compound just three hours away from Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad. In 2015, $300 million of the Pentagon’s Coalition Support Fundsweremade conditional on Pakistan acting against the Haqqani network terrorist group in Afghanistan — Pakistan’s main spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence, has long been accused of patronizing and protecting the group. Frankly, none of it has worked. The Newsweek: The Trump administration could be endangering the lives of US troops in the Middle East with its decision to cut nearly all American security aid to Pakistan, experts say. The decision, which was announced Thursday, is intended to pressure Pakistan to help US foreign policy priorities like clamping down on the Taliban in Afghanistan. But it could end up backfiring by diminishing the cooperation between the U.S. and Pakistan to combat terror groups in the region. Currently, the US and NATO depend on Pakistan for logistical support for their operations in Afghanistan, a key part of fighting terrorism. The US originally increased funding to Pakistan in 2002 as part of its war on terror, and the Obama administration made Pakistan a priority as it planned to capture the terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden. Pressure from the US also resulted in a build-up of Pakistani military presence along the border with Afghanistan. The Forbes: In India and Afghanistan in the other hand, Trump’s tweet received support and celebration. It made front page news in India, since Pakistan has long been considered India’smost bitter adversary. “The Trump administration decision has abundantly vindicated India’s stand...as far as the role of Pakistan is concerned in perpetrating terrorism,” said Jitendra Singh, a Minister of State in India’s Prime Minister’s Office. Similarly, the Afghan ambassador to the United States, Hamdullah Mohib, and former Afghan President Hamid Karzai both welcomed the tweet. When asked about Trump’s criticism, China responded by coming to Pakistan’s defence, praising its counter-terrorismefforts: “Pakistan has made... outstanding contribution to the global cause of counter terrorism. The international community should acknowledge that,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, calling China and Pakistan “all weather partners.” China is currently investing heavily in Pakistan as part of the $62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project. The Foreign Policy magazine: Even as the tweet continued to titillate Trump enthusiasts in India and at home, however, the responsiblemembers of Trump’s government were strategizing how to roll it back. Later that same day, a White House National Security Council spokesperson explained what, specifically, to expect: “The United States does not plan to spend the $255 million in FY 2016 foreign military financing for Pakistan at this time.” This is not the sweeping cut off that Trump implied in his braggadocios tweet. It is also worth noting that Trump’s tweet only reinforced what the “New York Times” reported on Dec. 29, that the Trump administrationwas going towithhold—wait for it—$255 million in Foreign Military Financing (FMF). FMF funds enable partner countries to buy “US defence articles, services, and training” and are provided either as a non-repayable grant or on a loan basis. This is hardly a sweeping punishment that will persuade Pakistan to begin acting against terrorism. Historically, FMF funds have not been the mainstay of the American dole to Pakistan. Out of the more than $33 billion given to Pakistan since fiscal year 2002, FMF has accounted for less than $4 billion. The most lucrative payouts have been through the CSF programme, which totals more than $14.5 billion.