Imran-Trump Summit: a win-win situation for Pakistan

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s summit meeting with US President Donald Trump last month resulted in unprecedented positives for Pakistan. The visit can be categorised as one of the most successful bilateral visits by a Pakistani head of state since President Ayub Khan’s visit in 1961.

Very conveniently, the success of the visit can be attributed to the political and military leadership’s sincerity of purpose that has brought them on the same page. Both want to contest Pakistan’s case without asking for any economic aid.

Imran Khan’s statement that “we do not want aid but desire that the US must understand Pakistan’s point of view on national, regional and global issues” was instrumental in raising Pakistan’s national stature in the US.

The Imran-Trump summit was preceded by a huge gathering of the Pakistani community right in the heart of Washington. Imran Khan’s charismatic personality was the source behind the unprecedented power show.

People travelled from across the US and Canada to listen to their leader. A lively presence of more than 20,000 people, chanting Pakistani slogans, not only surprised the organisers of the event but also the US political elite.

The US media was all praise for the unity and nationalistic mood of the Pakistani community. Their resilience validated Imran Khan’s belief that overseas Pakistanis could play a vital role in bolstering Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves, provided the political leadership is trustworthy. The rare show of nationalism in the US is expected to be a source of inspiration for Pakistanis living in other parts of the world to step forward and help the country out of the quagmire of foreign debts.

Imran Khan’s US visit — unlike those by his predecessors — resulted in many pleasant surprises for Pakistan, like the US offer of mediation between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue; acknowledgement of Pakistan’s constructive role in the Afghanistan peace process; offer to raise the bilateral trade volume by 20%; expression of resolve to resume aid; suggestions on a prisoner exchange programme; appreciation of Pakistan’s command and control programme; and President Trump’s accepting invitation to visit Pakistan.

To add to that, pleasantly missing were the harsh “do more” demands; unrealistic calls for controlling terrorism; concerns about human rights violation, especially in Balochistan; and reservations over CPEC.

Let’s have a detailed look at Pakistan’s achievement in the US while keeping an eye on possible roadblocks.

To start with, President Trump’s disclosure that Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India had requested him to mediate over the Kashmir dispute sprang up as a huge surprise for all, especially in India and Pakistan. Even though there was an immediate rebuttal from the Indian side and they had also to activate their Washington lobby to pacify the situation, President Trump’s remarks went viral around the world and served as a strong catalyst to internationalise the Kashmir issue instantly.

Never ever has a Pakistani leader asked a US President, so openly at a press conference, for help in resolving the Kashmir issue, and in response the President commits immediately in front of the media to play the role of a mediator. It was a clear departure from a consistent US policy on the issue.

President Trump and Prime Minister Khan — both known for being blunt and mincing no words — have given new hopes of peace in Kashmir and the region. It may be recalled here that when Prime Minister Modi was about to be re-elected for a second tenure in May 2019, Prime Minister Khan had claimed that Modi’s re-election could be a facilitating factor as regards the resolution of the Kashmir issue, reasoning that only a strong Indian leadership could dare hold result-oriented talks on occupied Kashmir. Perhaps, that’s what Prime Minister Khan had envisioned.

India is now left with difficult choices to make — either to expose its fanatic face or resume the strategic dialogue process to keep the Kashmir issue restricted to the bilateral level. On the flip side, while Pakistan is celebrating its successes with regard to Kashmir, it must be watchful before it makes any commitments.

Pakistan must seek participation of the Kashmiri leadership over efforts for the resolution of the dispute. One expects the Pakistan side to understand that Modi and his team cannot be trusted as regards their stated positions.

Second, Pakistan’s commitment to help with the ongoing Afghan peace process needs to be assessed carefully. Even though peace in Afghanistan is in Pakistan’s interest, ground realities must be made known to the US before making any assurances. Very wisely, while speaking at the USIP in Washington, Prime Minister Khan had indicated that the Afghan government does not want Pakistan to interact with the Taliban leadership directly.

There is all the likelihood that the claims made by Pakistan with regard to the Afghanistan peace process might backfire and hold back the trust-building between Pakistan and the US. In this regard, a joint mechanism comprising officials from the US, Pakistan and Afghanistan could ease the job.

Third, Pakistan must capitalise on the US offer to increase the bilateral trade volume by 20%, besides seeking relaxation with regard to double-licensing procedures and trade restrictions on advanced technologies.

For instance, Pakistan must seek immediate removal of the Pakistan’s Space organisation SUPARCO from the ‘Entity List’ maintained by the US Bureau of Industry and Security that imposes additional licensing requirements for import of space-related equipment.

Indian space organisation ISRO has already been given this favour which has tangibly contributed to the Indian space programme. SUPARCO’s removal from the US Entity List would thus provide it with an opportunity to actualise Pakistan’s Space Vision-2047, which is for peaceful purposes and seeks to contribute to humanity’s wellbeing. In addition, Pakistan should also seek memberships of the four export control cartels.

Fourth, prisoners exchange cooperation may be made viable on a priority basis. Seeking Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s release from the US against the disgraced Dr Shakil Afridi is not a bad option. On the flip side, Pakistan must remain vigilant that such an exchange must not be treated as a blanket approval for exchanging spies, given that Dr Afridi is termed a spy in Pakistan.

Overall, the Imran-Trump Summit has opened up new vistas for reviving our stalemated relationship with the US. Without compromising on our core national interests, we should capitalise on the friendly environment that now exists between the two countries. In a nutshell, optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 3^rd, 2019.

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