Will President Trump be good or bad for Pakistan?

[Devil Soul]

Will President Trump be good or bad for Pakistan?
Views range from 'nobody knows' to 'expect muscle-flexing'.
DAWN.COMUPDATED 11 minutes ago
Not one to mince words, in 2012, an angry Trump had tweeted: "When will Pakistan apologise to us for providing safe sanctuary to Osama Bin Laden for 6 years?! Some 'ally'."

The candidate also seems to have a soft spot for India. Just last month, he attended an elaborate charity event hosted by Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC) and promised that India and the US would be “best friends” if he were president.

So, what would a Trump presidency mean for Pakistan?

Here's what some experts and commentators think.

Space for hawks?
It will depend on how foreign policy experts shape his regional agenda. If he gives space to hawks, it is possible Pakistan may face repercussions over its association with militant groups. On the flipside, he has not spoken about Pakistan that much so there is a chance his Middle East agenda takes up most of his policy space and we end up getting ignored.

— Umair Javed
Umair Javed is a freelance columnist.

No clear plan for Pakistan
Nobody knows how Trump will approach the complexity of the issues that come with America's Pakistan policy. There is Afghanistan, there is the stability of a nuclear-armed country, there are regional complexities with India, China and Iran vested in some way or the other. For a man with a simple mind, there is no telling how he will balance all these out to draw a path forward for himself on Pakistan.

— Khurram Hussain
Khurram Hussain is a part of Dawn's staff.

Republicans as friends?
Traditionally Republicans have been closer to Pakistan, especially the establishment; but Trump isn’t your traditional Republican. I think Trump’s presidency has greater significance domestically in the US. [It is symptomatic of] the shift towards politics of hate and fear in the western world. What it means for Pakistan, who knows.

— Reema Omer
Reema Omer is a legal adviser for the International Commission of Jurists.

The devil you know
"For those who think Clinton might be a hawk regarding Pakistan, just remember it's much preferable dealing with challenging policy than hate/bigotry"

— Babar Sattar, via Twitter
Babar Sattar is a lawyer.

More of the same for Pakistan
A Trump presidency will certainly be disconcerting because of its potential unpredictability - but Pakistani policy makers will face the same pro-India slant, and the same surplus of expectations from the Pakistani military that have been the staple of US policy since 1992. A Trump presidency will not change the fundamentals of the dysfunctional Pakistan-US relationship.

— Mosharraf Zaidi
Mosharraf Zaidi is part of the Alif Ailaan campaign for education.

Muscle flexing ahead?
We have no idea how a Trump presidency would affect Pakistan, because he has not really talked about policy during this election. We aren't really sure who his team is going to be. Reports suggest Newt Gingrich is his top pick for Secretary of State. Gingrich did bring up Pakistan on stage at the June Republican Convention. He paraphrased and decontextualised a PEW study to say that 16 million Pakistanis support ISIS. He thought that was an important thing to mention. I guess that's a precursor to the kind of muscle flexing we might see if Gingrich becomes Secretary of State.

— Sahar Habib Ghazi
Sahar Habib Ghazi is the managing editor at 'Global Voices'.

Back home
"Trump win good for Pakistan. Rich, educated Pakistanis will come back to Pakistan"

— Farrukh Saleem via Twitter
Farrukh Saleem is a columnist who writes for 'The News'.

Hoping for peace
"I hope he [Donald Trump] will focus keenly to bring peace and stability around the world and demonstrate deliberate leadership in resolving the conflicts in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. We must trust and work together to crush terrorism and eliminate extremism from a position of strength. United States should not quit from Afghanistan; it's combat troop draw-down should be effect-related and not time-related."

— Pervez Musharraf via Facebook
Pervez Musharraf is a former president of Pakistan and the founder of All Pakistan Muslim League.

Gift to jihadists
"On a serious note: Trump's victory will be an enormous gift to a failing jihadist movement, that will have now have a renewed rallying cry. If jihadi ideology has a source of sustenance, it is the image of the US as the evil anti-Muslim crusader. They will milk Trump's win dry."

— Ammar Rashid via Twitter
Ammar Rashid is a researcher, teacher, political worker at AWP and musician.

 

[litman]

i think now india has a ticket to do whatever they want in kashmir.
PAF should forget F-16.
modi-trump coalition can be very dangerous for pak.

 

[Peaceful Civilian]

I just wish if he appears as Bush administration. Then this is good for Pakistan. We can work together , and demolish terrorism in the region. We just need smart policy makers . We can be front line state on war against terrorism, if needed we should provide airbase near afghanistan, to stop terrorist movements from afghanistan . This will also help us to demolish them , as this is very difficult and terrain areas with 2500 km of afghanistan. At same time we will concentrate on CPEC project and complete in time.
Win win situation for both countries and to normalize relation with old ally.

 

[barbarosa]

i think now india has a ticket to do whatever they want in kashmir.
PAF should forget F-16.
modi-trump coalition can be very dangerous for pak.

What obama or calinten did for Pakistan?

 

[ali_raza]

trump will get the reality.now election campaign is over and real thing have started.btw i m waiting for that wall he promised.and also milking the chinese.frankly he cant do any

 

[maximuswarrior]

It is over as I see it. It was already over under Obama for Pakistan. Most importantly, Trump is not a traditional Republican! Trump is going to make sure that the final nail is delivered. Trump has already made terrible remarks about Pakistan's nuclear weapons and his desire to denuclearize with the help of India. Let's not kid ourselves. Under Trump there is going to be massive conflict and confrontation between the US and Pakistan. Not a shred of doubt about it. Mark my words. Trump and his major advisers who are going to be in key positions have made no secret about their dislike for Pakistan. It is all on record and this is not election rhetoric. India and Israel are their favorite puppies and they will go to any extent to please them.

On the bright side, the burger elite in Pakistan is now going to have to look towards other allies. US worshiping is over. US aid is also past tense. Under Obama we did have these luxuries from time to time. The same burger elite that was predicting a Hillary win will today be trembling and in complete shock. This Trump win has severe consequences for Pakistan. Anyone downplaying this needs a serious reality check. We cannot take this lightly at all.

 

[litman]

What obama or calinten did for Pakistan?

bamboozled pak and gave dollars. now we should expect only bamboozle.

 

[Path-Finder]

look this hype he made is one thing and the reality of being at the helm of the ship is another. we are moving away from them and we should accelerate it further.

 

[Jackdaws]

Trump is a loose canon. But he is basically a NY democrat who played to the galleries to idiots, rednecks and the 50% of American people who don't live the American life that Hollywood would have us believe. An entire section of America is pi$$ poor and uneducated with no access to healthcare and they are not happy. As if Trump can build a wall and make Mexicans pay for it - as if he can bring back jobs in the coal mining sector. He knows nothing of foreign policy and will outsource it to his VP Pence. There is a slim chance he will rock the boat with Pakistan but I doubt he will.

 

[Muhammad Omar]

It'll be same like Obama... nothing good neither bad

 

[maximuswarrior]

look this hype he made is one thing and the reality of being at the helm of the ship is another. we are moving away from them and we should accelerate it further.

That's what is going to happen and on a much faster pace now. CPEC was already started due to less reliance on the US. Trust me, Pakistan will now make 1000% sure that this project receives the fullest attention. CPEC is our jugular vein.

 

[Muhammad Omar]

i think now india has a ticket to do whatever they want in kashmir.
PAF should forget F-16.
modi-trump coalition can be very dangerous for pak.

Isn't india still doing whatever they want in Kashmir??

US asked Pakistan to pay full for F-16's they didn't said no for it

 

[Path-Finder]

That's what is going to happen and on a much faster pace now. CPEC was already started due to less reliance on the US. Trust me, Pakistan will now make 1000% sure that this project receives the fullest attention. CPEC is our jugular vein.

My theory is with all the idiots in the Muslim world who kiss uncle sam's rear will have their faces kicked in!! If he does as he said and I for one hope he does that. Without a kick in the balls the Muslim world ain't gonna wake up.

 

[maximuswarrior]

Demolish terrorism in the region? Is that a joke? You are basically housing them, funding them, training them.
Stop this double talk, the status quo was stupid, a hawk in the state will trigger massive changes vis-a-vis Pakistan.

Trump is disaster for Pakistan, he has be on the record marking Pakistan as not friend, and see problems in the region emanating from Pakistan. Pakistan must change course now and play ball with regards to Afghans Talis and others, or become on the receiving end of what is to come.

FYI, we are not going to change anything. We have other reliable allies. We have done our homework and we have initiated projects which will help us stay clear from the USA.

Afghanistan doesn't matter to Pakistan. Afghans need to start packing their bags because the more rhetoric from Trump means more heat for Afghans in Pakistan. Just so you realize. Tough times ahead for the Afghan government. They should embrace for huge numbers of Afghans coming their way.

 

[barbarosa]

Demolish terrorism in the region? Is that a joke? You are basically housing them, funding them, training them.
Stop this double talk, the status quo was stupid, a hawk in the state will trigger massive changes vis-a-vis Pakistan.

Trump is disaster for Pakistan, he has be on the record marking Pakistan as not friend, and see problems in the region emanating from Pakistan. Pakistan must change course now and play ball with regards to Afghans Talis and others, or become on the receiving end of what is to come.

Trump know Pakistan more than you and your master.