Pakistan’s influential Dawn newspaper has, in an editorial, flagged its concern over the Modi-Trump meeting, specifically the outcomes, one of which could see the sale of F-35 jet to India. This has “implications for Pakistan’s national defence”, it warned.
The editorial also took umbrage at the India-US joint statement calling on Pakistan to “expeditiously bring to justice”, those responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks and the “Pathankot incident” (Jan 2016 attack on IAF’s Pathankot airbase).
Such references are “one-sided and misleading”, it quoted the Pakistani foreign office as saying.
There is also concern over the appointment of Paul Kapur, “a scholar of Indian origin known for his hawkish views on Pakistan,” as the US administration’s point man for South and Central Asia.
The editorial noted that his appointment is already being seen in some circles as “a sign of Washington’s souring view of Islamabad’s policies.”
Then there are vocal groups of Pakistani expatriates in the US who rallied behind Trump during his campaign and have been pushing for the new administration to take a harder line on Islamabad’s internal policies.
“All these factors seem to give the impression that the regime in Islamabad is in the un-envious position of being forced to once again ‘prove’ its utility to US policymakers,” the editorial said.
It warned that “Pakistan’s concerns regarding India are valid. New Delhi seems to be once again leveraging economic heft to avoid accountability for its own involvement in running global assassination and terrorism networks, while at the same time using its engagement with foreign partners to shift blame publicly on Pakistan.”
It says Islamabad should not stand idly by as India plays this game. It must take a more proactive approach to establish Pakistan’s bonafides. It is regrettable that despite Pakistan’s long involvement in the global war against terrorism and its continuing counter terrorism cooperation with the US, the “steep price its people have paid in social and economic terms is still not recognised or appreciated.”
