Donald Trump’s surprise election as United States (US) president has made Pakistanis wary that he may accelerate what they see as a shift in American policy to favour arch-foe India in the long rivalry between nuclear-armed neighbours, according to analysts.
The already pro-India America under Donald Trump is expected to exert pressure on Pakistan to limit its nuclear and strategic missile programme.
During his pre-election campaign, Trump had spoken, a few times, negatively about Pakistan’s nuclear programme. Once he said that he would want US forces to stay in Afghanistan to ensure that Pak nukes do not go into the hands of extremists.
In an interview in April this year, Trump had termed Pakistan “a vital problem” for the United States (US) “because they have a thing called nuclear weapons”, adding, “They have to get a better hold of the situation.” Trump also hinted at seeking help from India and other nations to address the “problem” of nuclear-armed Pakistan.
