Pakistan’s bumpy ride with six Democrat US presidents

LAHORE: Since its creation 73 years ago, Pakistan has dealt with some 13 American presidents, seven of whom were from the Republican Party, and six from the Democratic Party. The incumbent US president-elect, Joe Biden, also belongs to the latter.

The Democrats who called shots at the White House after Pakistan's independence included Harry Truman, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Pakistan's predominantly rocky ties with six Democrat American presidents:

During Harry Truman's Democratic regime in 1949, Washington DC invited Indian Premier Nehru to pay a state visit, while Pakistani head of government Liaquat Ali Khan did not receive any invitation.

Although the relations between Soviet Union and Pakistan were cold at that time, Liaquat Ali Khan surprisingly received an invitation from Moscow for a state visit. Moscow was yet to invite India though.

Suddenly, an American invitation was received and accepted by Liaquat Ali Khan to Moscow's sheer dismay.

On May 3, 1950 Liaquat Ali Khan reached America and Truman welcomed him warmly. However, the Pak-US ties soon deteriorated when America asked Pakistan to send its forces in the Korean War. In reply, Liaquat said that Pakistan would help America in Korean War if it agreed to resolve the Kashmir and Pashtun issues.

Nehru visited the United States and Pakistan was pressurised to call back its troops from Indian-held Kashmir.

It was in 1951 that Liaquat Ali Khan first survived the Rawalpindi conspiracy case, a rebellion led by senior Army officials against his government. Later he was assassinated in October 1951. A lot of Pakistanis had blamed the United States for orchestrating the two events.

During Democrat Kennedy's government, as a USAID report of May 31, 2019, had revealed, the US economic assistance to Pakistan peaked in 1962, at over $2.3 billion.

Lyndon Johnson, another Democrat President, was in Karachi on December 23, 1967 to meet President Ayub Khan.

The USAID report of May 31, 2019 had stated: "During the 1970s, President Jimmy Carter had suspended all aid to Pakistan (except food aid) in response to Pakistan's decision to construct a Uranium enrichment facility."

After Carter was elected President in 1976, he had pledged to seek the ban of nuclear weapons in his inaugural speech. Bhutto hence lost all his links within the US administration. He had cultivated these contacts through President Nixon.

We all know Bhutto was hanged after a farce court trial in 1979 during General Zia's time, although Jimmy Carter had reportedly called General Ziaul Haq to stop Bhutto's execution.

The-then US Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger had reportedly told Bhutto "that if you [Bhutto] do not cancel, modify or postpone the Reprocessing Plant Agreement, we will make a horrible example from you."

In April 1979, during Carter's era, the United States cut off its military assistance to Pakistan, except food assistance, as required under the “Symington Amendment.” This time the suspension had resulted due to Washington DC’s concerns about Pakistan’s nuclear programme.

In December 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. The US offered $400 million worth of military aid, which was rejected by Pakistan as being ‘inadequate.’

It was in 1980s that Pakistan agreed to pay $658 million for 28 F-16 fighter jets from the United States.

However, the US Congress froze the deal, citing objections to Pakistan's nuclear ambitions. Under the terms of the American cancellation, the US kept both the money and the planes, leading to angry reaction from the Pakistani government.

In 1981, the US again offered a package of military aid worth $1.5 billion, which was accepted. During the five years that followed after the influx of this aid, the US provided 40 F-16 fighters, 100 M-48 tanks, 64 M-109 155 mm SP howitzers, 40 M-110 203mm SP howitzers, 75 towed howitzers and 1,005 TOW anti-tank missile system, all of which enhanced Pakistan’s defence capability substantially.

Bill Clinton, another Democrat boss of the White House, was in Pakistan on March 25, 2000, when he had met the then Pakistani president Rafiq Tarar and army chief Pervez Musharraf. Clinton had only delivered a radio address on his tour. In 1995, Prime minister Benazir Bhutto flew to the US, urging President Clinton to amend the Pressler Amendment and convinced Washington DC to launch a campaign against extremism, with Pakistan allying with the United States.

Under Bill Clinton, a Democrat, the Pak-US relations had witnessed a severe blow with Pakistan’s nuclear tests and the ensuing sanctions in 1998.

A Presidential visit scheduled for the first quarter of 1998 was postponed and, under the “Glenn Amendment,” sanctions restricted the provision of credits, military sales, economic assistance and loans to Pakistan.

The ouster of Premier Nawaz Sharif in 1999 in a military coup led by General Pervez Musharraf gave the US government another reason to invoke fresh sanctions under Section 508 of the “Foreign Appropriations Act,” which included restrictions on foreign military financing and economic assistance.

During his Presidency, Barack Obama--another Democrat--had visited the scene of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai at the start of a 10-day visit to Asia.

Obama had viewed on record that the US had made the mistake of "putting all our eggs in one basket" in the form of General Musharraf, who was eventually forced out of office in 2008.

In February 2010, President Obama had sought to increase funds to Pakistan to promote economic and political stability in strategically important regions where the United States had special security interests.

In 2010, Obama had also sought $3.1 billion aid for Pakistan to defeat al-Qaeda.

In May 2011, strong voices in Washington DC had claimed that they had caught Osama bin Laden without Pakistani help.

Despite this long love-hate relationship, the United States has doled out more than $70 billion to Pakistan since 1947 under various heads and for multiple reasons, ranging from curbing terrorism to health and education, etc, a research conducted by the Jang Group and Geo Television Network shows.

This figure of $70 billion, of course, includes $33 billion, which has been dished out to Pakistan by the United States in aid since 2001-02.

Contrary to the Pakistani rulers who visited the United States some 42 times since 1947, only five American presidents till date landed in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore during the last 73 years, which thus means that it takes over 14 years for a White House occupant to plan a tour to Pakistan.

Interestingly, as it might not escape the notice of Pakistanis, all five of those pro-democracy American presidents (Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson, Nixon, Clinton and Bush Junior) were guests of Pakistani military rulers! Three of them were Republican heads of state.