Reaching out to Trump

Fatemi drawing a blank in DC

What, after all, made Nawaz reach out to Donald Trump just when he’s in an intense huddle to finalise his team? And that too in such a fashion – sending Tariq Fatemi to meet with future officials (who haven’t even been appointed yet)? Surely he was not too encouraged by that mysterious phone call. Or perhaps he thought if Trump could make time for India’s IT behemoths there’s no reason his team wouldn’t accommodate, even be eager to talk to, Fatemi. But while India’s entrepreneurial royalty would talk commerce – money flow, investment, infrastructure – that will clearly form the cornerstone of Trump’s outreach, Fatemi would just make the same claims that Washington has long grown tired of.

One more thing. The IT guys were invited. Fatemi went fishing on his own. Wouldn’t it have been better to let the Trump administration settle down and prepare well for the inevitable exchange that would have, and still will, come sooner rather than later? The snub, now, only reinforces the belief that Trump might well be more hardline and straightforward than his predecessors. The Republican Congress, especially, has openly asked for a few points to be settled very clearly before considering any more business with the Pakistanis.

Most likely Trump will immediately ask Pakistan to quantify some of its claims, especially ones that Washington refuses to buy at face value. The status of the Haqqanis, of course. Continued presence of Afghan Taliban. The extent to which terrorists ‘of all hues and colours’ are being targeted in our own brutal war, etc. Since these questions, more than anything else, are also behind Pakistan’s regional isolation, this matter is best settled as soon as possible. So far Islamabad’s approach has lacked focus as well as seriousness. What did the government really expect from the PM’s advisor telling future US government officials about Pakistan’s sacrifices, etc? Since this approach has already failed, the PM is advised to recalibrate quickly and prepare for detailed, formal negotiations with the Americans.