There have been several signs of a strategic realignment between Pakistan and the US, whose relations had fallen to a low after US President Donald Trump declared seven years ago that Islamabad had given Washington “nothing but lies and deceit” in return for billions of dollars in aid. In addition to the Pakistan army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, travelling to the US on two occasions in as many months, and even being hosted at the White House by Trump, the
There have been several signs of a strategic realignment between Pakistan and the US, whose relations had fallen to a low after US President Donald Trump declared seven years ago that Islamabad had given Washington “nothing but lies and deceit” in return for billions of dollars in aid. In addition to the Pakistan army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, travelling to the US on two occasions in as many months, and even being hosted at the White House by Trump, the US has declared the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its proxy, The Majeed Brigade, as a foreign terrorist organisation. A joint statement issued after a Pakistan-US counter-terrorism dialogue in Islamabad on Tuesday had Washington lauding Islamabad’s “continued successes in containing terrorist entities that pose a threat” to the region. It would have been instructive if the US had furnished some instances of these successes, especially at a time when anti-India groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba and their proxies maintain extensive networks on Pakistani soil.
Trump’s claim that he brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in May has certainly not endeared him to many in New Delhi’s decision-making circles, and the latest joint statement too is unlikely to go down well, coming as it does in the wake of the nuclear brinkmanship by Munir during his latest US visit. India has said Munir’s recent nuclear threats only reflect Pakistan’s irresponsible attitude towards its nuclear arsenal and its role as a driver of instability across the region. Pakistan, especially in the areas bordering Afghanistan, continues to be home to all manner of terror groups that pose a clear danger to the region, and it makes little sense for the US to be seen as rewarding the Pakistani military, which has perfected the art of using terror as an instrument of State policy.
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