Islamabad:
Pakistan is anticipating “difficult times” under Donald Trump’s second term as president. Pakistani insiders have hinted at possible obstacles in bilateral relations.
Sources familiar with recent developments told The Express Tribune on Sunday that Pakistan’s assessment is based on two reasons.
One is Trump’s priorities and the other is the number of people in Trump’s cabinet who do not have a positive view of Pakistan.
Sources said that due to the public incitement against Pakistan, there is more focus on Trump’s special envoy Richard Grenell, but there are other people holding important positions in the new administration who need to be monitored in this regard.
A source said that there are not many people sympathetic to Pakistan inside the White House. Islamabad is no longer America’s priority. The Pakistani mission in Washington is struggling to make inroads in the power corridors there.
Although outgoing US Ambassador Donald Bloom has presented a beautiful picture of bilateral relations under President Biden, the situation can be gauged from the fact that during his four-year term, US President Biden spoke to a Pakistani Prime Minister. did not
Similarly, no high-level American delegation visited Pakistan during this period. US Secretary of State Blankenship, who visited the region including India on several occasions, never stopped in Islamabad.
Just weeks before Ulta Biden’s term ends, his senior aide made a startling claim that Pakistan’s missile program is a threat to the US and the region.
A member of a Washington-based think tank believes that the US Deputy National Security Adviser’s statement was not surprising as many in policy circles view Pakistan with suspicion.
Nevertheless, the Biden administration kept relations with Pakistan on a par and helped Islamabad secure a bailout package from the IMF.
Pakistani sources fear that such cooperation will also change now that the Trump administration may not look favorably on Islamabad. A potential lifeline for Pakistan in this scenario could be Saudi Arabia, which has close ties with President-elect Trump. “
