Trump’s tirade

Foreign policy in the administration of US President Donald Trump often seems to be formulated on the fly. At the start of the year, he rashly tweeted threats to Pakistan; and soon his administration was scrambling to find ways to match policy with tweet. They ended up doing so by suspending more than $300 million in military assistance, much of it given to Pakistan as repayment for operations carried out to help the US. Now Trump is at it again. In an interview with Fox News, he has said that Pakistan does not do “a damn thing” for the US. He has also claimed that everybody in Pakistan knew Osama bin Laden was hiding in the country and that he was living in a nice mansion right next to the military academy. The focus will understandably be on Trump’s tone but it is also important to note that the substance of his complaints is untrue. The military aid Pakistan received in the form of Coalition Support Funds from the US was explicitly to pay us back for taking action against militants on behalf of the US, as well as for other actions taken during the war on terror. As for the Osama bin Laden charge, no less a person than former US President Barack Obama said that there was no evidence anyone in the Pakistani state knew about his presence in the country.

Trump may express himself more crudely than others but the direction in which he is taking relations between Pakistan and the US is one it was already on. The partnership between the two countries was purely on the basis of need, especially once the US invaded Afghanistan. That need is no longer there for the US as it begins its drawdown from the country or for Pakistan as it has grown closer to China. The US had decided long before Trump took office that it would move even further in India’s direction. The American president may have accelerated the process but the wheels had already been put in motion. Still, it is important not to let Trump’s scurrilous allegations stand. Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari has responded by pointing out drone attacks and the issue of Raymond Davis. We have also lost tens of thousands of lives fighting a war that was brought to us by the US. If there is anyone who has shirked their duty, it is the US. While we should always seek good diplomatic ties with the superpower, diplomacy is a two-way street.