Islamabad recasts ties with Washington for political leverage

Many world leaders who have visited the White House since US President Donald Trump began his second term in January have not been received warmly. The tense spectacle of Trump's exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remained fresh in public memory.

Against this backdrop, there was keen curiosity about what awaited Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Field Marshal during their September 25 visit to the White House. Observers speculated over the reception Pakistan's civil and military leadership would receive.

Trump, known for turning every encounter into a public performance, surprised many by keeping the engagement strictly behind closed doors. The customary Oval Office press appearance before formal talks was conspicuously absent. Instead, the White House released only a short video clip and a few still images, limited but telling glimpses of what transpired.

Judging from the visuals and the official readout, the meeting appeared cordial and constructive, a striking departure from Trump's combative style.

The encounter also marked a significant turnaround in US-Pakistan relations. Before Trump's return to office, most experts had predicted bleak prospects for bilateral ties under Trump 2.0. However, those assumptions have been upended. When PM Shehbaz, accompanied by the field marshal, met Trump in Washington, it signalled an important step toward resetting strained ties.

According to sources, Pakistan has managed to carve out political space for itself and convince the Trump administration of its continuing relevance in regional affairs. Unlike in the past, Islamabad is not asking for security assistance or financial aid. Instead, the emphasis is on leveraging its relationship with Washington for political advantage at a time of shifting global alignments.

Officials familiar with the engagement explained that critics may judge the outcome of the reset in purely material terms, such as aid packages, trade concessions or military hardware. However, the real objective, they stress, is political. "If Pakistan was not on the right side of Trump, it could have proved to be a great disadvantage," one source noted.

The meeting took place against the backdrop of changing dynamics in South Asia. Washington's once-warm embrace of New Delhi has cooled in recent months, particularly due to trade disputes and diverging strategic priorities.

Meanwhile, Trump's administration continues to press a hard line on immigration and foreign policy, making it essential for countries like Pakistan to secure direct communication channels at the highest level.

Analysts believe Pakistan's leadership is seeking to position itself as a relevant player in Washington's evolving calculus on Afghanistan, counterterrorism and regional stability. The field marshal's presence at the talks was seen as a clear signal that Pakistan's civilian and military leadership are aligned on this approach.

While it remains to be seen how this political reset will translate into concrete outcomes, officials insist the engagement has already helped Pakistan avoid strategic isolation. "The dividends may not be immediate," said one source, "but keeping the US engaged is, in itself, a major win".

Another source added that Pakistan has so far successfully managed to position itself as a relevant player in global politics. The Saudi-Pakistan defence deal and Pakistan's presence at the Arab-Islamic summit hosted by Trump in New York underscored Islamabad's rising geostrategic profile.