Trump at his undiplomatic best

President Donald Trump cannot speak about Pakistan without hurling accusations — of betrayal. Trump has been persistent in his bashing of a country that has been America’s frontline partner in its 17-year-long war on terror ever since he entered White House in January 2017. Starting off with unveiling his Afghanistan and South Asian strategy in August 2017, the US president — in an annoyingly stern tone — warned Pakistan to ‘do more’ to rein in ‘the agents of chaos’ or face sanctions like aid cuts and losing its status as a major non-Nato ally. Trump raised the ante, choosing ‘Pakistan’s non-compliance’ as the subject of his first tweet for the year 2018. Therein, he accused Pakistan of ‘lies and deceit’ and of ‘providing safe havens’ to terrorists, sending a clear-cut message that there will be ‘no more’ aid. And that was soon followed by military aid cuts to Pakistan and exclusion of its military officers from coveted training and educational programmes that had been a hallmark of the bilateral military relations for more than a decade.

At his crudest and harshest best, Trump now defends his administration’s decision to stop military aid, in words that flout the norms of diplomacy and decency: “They [Pakistan] don’t do a damn thing for us [against the $1.3 billion provided every year].” The US president also claims to have evidence that Pakistanis were aware of Osama bin Laden’s presence on their soil. Trump administration’s tough rhetoric, meant to enhance pressure on Pakistan, reflects US frustration at not achieving any stability in Afghanistan even after 17 years of conflict — something that Prime Minister Imran Khan has also mentioned as he came up with a fitting reply. The harsh rhetoric may well be seen in the context of an Afghan endgame being worked on and hoped for, by the US, in about six months from now. The Trump administration now appears focused on reaching a political settlement with the Taliban, having given in to a number of demands of the insurgent group, including the holding of direct talks. But instead of sharpening the tone and tenor of the oratory against Pakistan, it will be far more helpful for the Trump administration to sit down with Pakistan and figure out a workable mode of engagement on the issue of Afghan political settlement. 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20^th, 2018.

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