A lot has happened in the past fortnight or so as far as Pakistan is concerned, especially with regard to its ties with the US.
Perhaps, one of the biggest and defining moments in US-Pakistan ties was the lunch meeting between Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and US President Donald Trump. And then there was the 12-day conflict of daily missile attacks and bombings on each other’s territory by Iran and Israel, culminating in a ceasefire on June 24.
A lot has already been said and discussed and debated about the meeting, which was closed to the US media. Neither the US government, nor the White House issued any statement or readout of the meeting – which is said to have lasted two hours. Pakistan military’s press/media service ISPR did release a statement on what was discussed at the meeting and President Trump referred to it during one of his daily impromptu talks with US reporters.
The US president said that the primary reason for inviting the Pakistan army chief was to thank him for not going into a war with India and agreeing to a ceasefire. When asked, he also said that there had been discussion in the Iran-Israel conflict, not least because Pakistan and Iran and neighbours, and (as Trump himself said), Pakistan knows Iran better than most countries do.
All kinds of conspiracy theories followed this lunch meeting, and as expected, the most insidious and malicious of these were usually floated on social media by either Indian handles or those aligned with a particular political party in Pakistan. The Indian mainstream media also floated several such conspiracy theories, including one in which it was claimed that Pakistan had agreed to let the Americans use its bases and airspace. This was disseminated by several well-known YouTubers and former TV anchors who are now living overseas. And it was disinformation designed to embarrass Pakistan.
When the US did eventually carry out an attack on Iran’s nuclear websites, the bombers used flew all the way from the continental United States and flew back (flying for around 37 hours and refuelling several times on the way) – and never used Pakistani airspace.
However, all this didn’t stop such elements from continuing with their disinformation campaign to bring Pakistan down. During this time, the same people have also found fault with Pakistan’s policy towards Iran saying that Pakistan should have supported Iran unambiguously and without any hesitation. The issue here became that Iran was becoming embroiled in a conflict indirectly with the US, through Israel.
At first, Pakistan condemned the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites without any equivocation, but then, following a meeting of the National Security Committee, it recalibrated its public response to the US action as one that was far more measured and cautious. It goes without saying that this was the right decision to make in such a situation, not least because the US and President Trump had – since the May conflict with India – come out as very supportive of Pakistan and India sitting down and talking out their differences, including Kashmir.
Pakistan’s measured response makes sense and it has been done since it believes that the biggest stumbling block to having a lasting peace with India – with whom it shares a border over 3,300 kilometres long – is the Kashmir issue. And President Trump has repeatedly said since the May conflict that he wants them to talk out their issues so that their populations can get on with their lives and raise their standards of living for the sake of their children.
Besides, when was the last time Iran supported Pakistan in any of its conflicts – with Afghanistan or with India – and in fact till now had a very good relationship with India, allowing it to operate the Chabahar Port close to Pakistan since 2018.
In fact, senior Iranian government officials publicly told Indian news channels not too long ago that the Gwadar Port in Pakistan wasn’t safe and that countries wishing to trade with the landlocked Central Asian countries and beyond should use the Chabahar port instead. And why has Iran given sanctuary to groups which have shown by their actions and attacks to have hostile intentions against Pakistan and its people?
If Pakistan wants to resolve the Kashmir issue with India – which presumably most Pakistanis would want – and if a third country wants to use its good offices to help out then that is something that should be welcomed. And if the world’s most powerful person – the president of the United States – repeatedly expresses a desire to help in doing this, then this is something that would be in Pakistan’s interest.
President Trump has spoken on how he and his administration helped make possible the ceasefire between Pakistan and India and how he wants them to trade and also sort out their differences with one another, including Kashmir. As a result, Trump has rather successfully and effectively internationalised the Kashmir issue again.
The writer is a journalist based in Karachi. He tweets/posts @omar_quraishi and can be reached at: [email protected]
