EDITORIAL: The most meaningful outcome of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s meeting with President Donald Trump is not in the optics of motorcades or smiles, but in the signal that Pakistan is being given bilateral priority in Washington without being viewed primarily through the prism of India. That shift, after decades of transactional and triangular framing, carries weight.
For the first time in years, Pakistan’s leadership was received at the White House for a dedicated discussion on security, counterterrorism and economic ties, with the prime minister accompanied by the army chief.
The context matters. Under the Biden administration, relations had cooled to the point of indifference. Pakistan was edged to the margins, seen more as a complication in Afghanistan’s endgame than a partner in its own right. Trump’s second term has already broken from that approach.
The meeting in Washington was the third interaction in as many months — following a session with Muslim leaders on the sidelines of the UNGA, and an unprecedented lunch with army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir in June. This consistency itself is notable. In the past, engagement had often been ad hoc, dictated by narrow tactical needs.
Caution is, of course, warranted. As analysts have reminded, Pakistan’s ties with the United States have always swung between highs and lows. The Afghan jihad, the ‘war on terror’, even the Cold War alliances all delivered moments of closeness, only to be followed by disengagement when Washington’s objectives shifted. Trump himself is unpredictable, and his record shows a willingness to change course abruptly. That is why no durable reset should be assumed yet, and why policy should be guided by realism.
Still, the value of the present moment should not be understated. For Pakistan, being able to engage the US president and his senior team at a time of upheaval in Gaza, turbulence in South Asia and recalibration in the Gulf restores a degree of relevance in international affairs. For the US, it shows recognition that relations with Islamabad are worth tending, not least because New Delhi is no longer a straightforward partner.
Trump’s frictions with India over trade, tariffs and visas, as well as his self-promotion in claiming to have mediated during the May hostilities between India and Pakistan, have created a different balance in Washington’s South Asia calculus.
It is also important to note what this warming of relations is built on. Security and intelligence cooperation remain central, as they have been through most of the history of the relationship.
Trump’s decision to meet the army chief separately earlier in the year underlined that recognition. But this time, the political leadership was front and centre, and the engagement has widened to include investment and trade. A new phase of partnership, if it emerges, will need to move beyond counterterrorism alone and address the economic dimension with equal seriousness.
Details of the Washington meeting remain scarce, and until joint statements are issued the exact contours of any agreement will be unclear. But the length of the discussion — nearly twice what had been scheduled — and the fact that it was closed to the press suggest substance was on the table. For Pakistan, the challenge will be to translate this moment into concrete outcomes: access to trade, investment in critical sectors, and support in stabilising its fragile economy.
The opportunity lies in the balance. Pakistan has historically relied too heavily on external patrons and suffered when those patrons changed course. Now, with China a constant partner and Gulf states strengthening defence ties, improved relations with Washington can form part of a more diversified foreign policy. To rely on the US alone would be risky; to keep the door firmly open is prudent.
The prime minister’s visit has set a positive tone. It represents a rare convergence of civilian and military leadership in presenting a unified front abroad, and it has been acknowledged with seriousness in Washington.
The test will be whether the follow-through delivers something more than atmospherics. For now, though, Pakistan can take encouragement that it has re-entered the White House as a partner in its own right, and that the conversation is once again bilateral, not conditional.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025