Imran-Trump meeting: A step in the right direction on the million-mile journey


Considering what happened in November last year – i

e

the Twitter fireworks that essentially tore apart any hope or chances of rapprochement or reconciliation – other than showing a few signs of nervousness, Imran handled the most unpredictable character ever to grace the halls of the White House pretty well! https://twitter

com/Asad_Umar/status/1153360895235543041 https://twitter

com/aleemkhan_pti/status/1153358492960473090 One could feel some sparks flying between Trump and Imran

After all, they are both celebrities and nationalists, and they both came to power in their respective countries on the basis of sheer rhetoric

However, before Imran’s supporters take to the streets with the chants of ‘Naya Pakistan,’ a word of caution for the gullible

Despite all the talk of resetting or rebooting the relationship, let’s not get carried away

Yes, Trump was cordial and forthcoming during the meeting and he even offered to mediate or arbitrate (he interchangeably used the words since he doesn’t have any clue about the difference between the two) on the issue of Kashmir (sounded like he liked the word Kashmir!) – something that no other American president has committed to do in the past

Nonetheless, we are still miles and miles away from establishing any kind of stability and trust in terms of making the Pakistan-America relationship blossom again

https://twitter

com/mkraju/status/1153381144861089793 Before a reset or a reboot is performed, Pakistan has to unplug itself from the part of its past that has turned its relationship with Washington into a farce

The United States (US) has repeatedly accused Islamabad of harbouring terrorists and terror financing

Through the American lens, Pakistan is also looked at in an unfavourable light because of its treatment of minorities, human rights abuses, and for being too close to Saudi Arabia

The reality is that Washington needs Pakistan at this moment in time

This particular Imran-Trump meeting transpired because the US wants Pakistan to play a pivotal role in negotiating with the Taliban

The US knows that they can’t keep sitting in Afghanistan forever

Trump has pledged time and again that he wants to pull his forces out of Afghanistan

However, they can’t just pull out abruptly and leave

That’s where Pakistan comes into the picture

They can leverage their links and ties with the Taliban leadership to create prospects of peace, thereby ensuring a US troop pullout

While one doesn’t know the context of Trump’s statement yesterday, that he can annihilate Afghanistan in 10 days, it is a recognised fact that yet another war effort by the US in that part of the world will be nothing less than political suicide for the country’s leadership

On the other hand, a cash-strapped Pakistan needs US support not only for seeking assistance to counter the pressure from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but also getting back into America’s good books can perhaps open new doors of opportunity vis-à-vis business and trade

If Pakistan treads the Afghan situation carefully and smartly, and delivers what Washington wants it to do, there are bright chances of a revival of fortunes

https://twitter

com/PTIofficial/status/1153531954823929856 But it won’t be easy to gain any concessions from Washington

Islamabad will need to come clean on several counts

Observers in the US believe that Trump’s promises aside, issues such as human rights, harbouring of terrorists like Hafiz Saeed, and the release of Dr Shakil Afridi, are the most significant impediments in the way of a potential political détente

Trump can only make promises but unless he takes a personal interest, like he’s doing with respect to North Korea, there’s no way that Washington would help Pakistan overcome its economic woes

Legally speaking, there are plenty of obstacles and hurdles that would need to be overcome, including the US Congress, before one starts seeing actual results

One last thing: Pakistan is not India and hence doesn’t have a clout in the US economic and political ecosystems

The sincerity of Pakistan’s purpose is the key here and Imran will need to lead from the front if he wants this meeting to materialise into something bigger than a mere photoshoot

In the absence of a focused and solid follow-through, this will be remembered as yet another Trump dog and pony show

To eliminate the possibility of such an eventuality, folks at the Foreign Office, and especially the Pakistan embassy staff in Washington, can play a critical role in promoting an image of a country that is ready to make appropriate changes and adjustments in light of the changed circumstances

Islamabad must show the world that it means business and wants friendly and peaceful relations with its neighbours

There are no two ways about it

Looking beyond this meeting, the eyes of policy makers will be glued on how Pakistan strategises and facilitates US-Taliban dialogue and settlement

Who knows, in Imran, America might have found an honest broker who can work along with the deal-maker, Trump, and revive the flagging fortunes of his country

Both countries need each other, and this could be a God-sent opportunity for Pakistan to take advantage of this new challenge that the Trump administration has come up with of wanting to achieve peace in Afghanistan

We all know that Trump is pretty much a one-man show

If Imran plays his cards right and both leaders stand by the commitments they have made, chances are we might get lucky and see a new era of Pakistan-US relations

Furthermore, the overarching reality remains that despite all that has happened in the past, it is still in Pakistan’s benefit to work closely with the US

Islamabad must co-operate, gain their trust, and stay on the right side of the world’s largest economy

The people of Pakistan are tottering under economic pressure, desperately in need of some relief and Imran could provide it for them

However, he should be ready to walk down a long, arduous road in his now celebrated Peshawari sandals!



Date:24-Jul-2019 Reference:View Original Link