Web desk: A new Foreign Policy report says that Pakistan’s ties with the United States are entering a new phase of strategic and economic cooperation during the Trump era.
The American journal has released a new report highlighting a significant upswing in Pakistan-US relations.
Foreign Policy report
It noted that Islamabad has secured its strongest position in Washington during the Trump era through what it describes as “extraordinary diplomacy.”
“The Pakistanis have done a very good job of developing a positive relationship with President Trump,” a former US diplomat who served during Trump’s first term told Foreign Policy, it reports.
According to the report, President Donald Trump has developed an unprecedented level of closeness with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
It states that Pakistan earned the full trust of President Trump after playing a decisive role in the capture of the mastermind behind the Kabul attack.
It can be considered an achievement that marked a turning point in bilateral ties.
The report says Islamabad’s “intelligent and proactive diplomacy” has elevated Pak–US relations to a new height.
Foreign Policy further highlights that President Trump openly appreciated Pakistan’s effective diplomacy in reducing Pakistan–India tensions and even took credit for facilitating the ceasefire.
Trump era
During this period, Washington’s tone toward India remained cold while its approach toward Pakistan warmed considerably.
“All of this has come as Trump’s ties with the country’s geopolitical archrival, India, have frayed, upending a decades-long trend line in South Asia,” the report states.
Recognising Pakistan’s role in regional stability, President Trump termed Islamabad an essential pillar of his Middle East strategy.
The US president has developed a close relationship with senior Pakistani leadership, the report states.
Trump has praised the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif and the Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
He described them as “great people” in a speech at a summit in Southeast Asia in October. “I love Pakistan,” Trump also stated once.
It concludes that the Trump administration is rapidly expanding cooperation with Pakistan in crypto, energy, counterterrorism and mineral development.
It is expected to cement Islamabad’s exceptional rise in Washington’s strategic calculus.
