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from the military establishment in
Pakistan has been rather measured. It
merely said that it is prepared to
remain engaged with the US. The
Trump and US-Pakistan reason is that the army in Pakistan is
less concerned about cutting off
Relations American money than about the scaling
up of America’s coercive diplomacy by
targeting sanctions against Pakistani
military generals involved in keeping
Will the Trump administration, like the previous American governments, the Afghan terror cauldron on the boil
release the aid put on hold on a case by case basis leaving the doors open for and reducing packages from
a patch-up? —By Pallab Bhattacharya international financial institutions.
The Trump administration is also
It began as a tweet but went on to Since the September 2001 attack reportedly mulling other punitive
intensify into a storm in no time that on the twin towers in New York and measures too, including stepped-up
threatens to engulf Pakistan, Washington, the United States has drone strikes. This is a far cry from the
America’s steadfast ally during seen Pakistan as a frontline state in its years when the United States was
decades of the Cold War. President Pakistan’s principal backer during the
Donald Trump posted on the micro Cold War with the Soviet Union and
blogging site that “The United States In Brief even armed and bank-rolled jihadists
has foolishly given Pakistan more than against the Soviet occupation in
 US State Department said that
33 billion dollars in aid over the last Afghanistan in 1970s and 80s.
it would withhold up to USD
15 years and they have given us nothing During the Cold War era, Pakistan
but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders 2 billion in US security quickly became an important military
as fools. assistance to Pak. asset for the United States and
PAKISTAN ON THE BRINK  The Taliban and its offshoot Islamabad allowed Washington to use
They give safe haven to the terrorists the Haqqani network have its Air Force Station in Peshawar in
we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. used Pakistan as a sort of safe 1950s to keep an eye on Moscow and
No more!” It set off a crisis for haven. launch spy missions from its territory.
Pakistan has not faced in a long time.  US is examining ways to The US then went on to pump in
Trump’s tweet was on a Monday and minimize the impact of any millions of dollars in aid and military
by Thursday, the US State Department support to Pakistan.
Pakistani countermeasure. THE WARMTH INTO US–PAK TIES
had announced that it would withhold
 Pakistan provides the
up to USD 2 billion in U.S security The US-Pak ties plunged in late 1980s
logistics supply route to the
assistance to Pakistan until that after the American Congress adopted
US in its fight against the
country takes “decisive action” against the Larry Pressler Amendment which
the Taliban and the Haqqani network Taliban in Afghanistan. banned military and economic aid to
of terror groups. The aid figure includes  Trump administration has so Pakistan unless that country proved
USD 900 million to reimburse Pakistan far seemed inclined to take a that the money was not being used to
meant to combat terror. tough approach toward develop nuclear weapons. Besides, a
Pakistan’s civilian government and Pakistan. portion of the American money was
TV channel commentators responded also used by Pakistan to target India.
with frustration and former cricketer Way back in early 1990s, the US
Imran Khan, seen by many as the future war in against the Taliban in Ambassador to Pakistan, Nicholas
Prime Minister of that country, said it Afghanistan. The United States has Platt, had once suggested that the
was time to “delink” from the United provided Pakistan with USD 20 billion America include Pakistan on its list of
States. There have been suggestions in security aid to Pakistan since 2002 state sponsors of terrorism because
in Pakistan that the country stop and a large part of that assistance was of the aid it was allegedly funnelling to
helping the US with supply routes meant for Pakistan’s counter-terrorism militants in India.
through Pakistani air space, a facility activities and paying for US-made Just as during the Cold War, the
granted during military ruler Pervez hardware. United States, after the attacks on New
Musharraf’s time, to combat terrorism However, that assistance from the York towers, needed Pakistan’s help
in Afghanistan. This sparked United States has declined in recent as a crucial gateway for its 16-year old
apprehensions that the two countries years. The suspension of US aid may military missions to fight terrorism
might get embroiled in a tit-for-tat that hit particularly Pakistan’s air force. emanating from Afghanistan-Pakistan
could further cloud their ties. Unlike its government, the reaction region and Islamabad became one of
March 2018 Competition Wizard 47