Trump Should Be Wary of Partnering With Pakistan

A Fickle Friendship: The Hidden Risks of Rekindling Ties with Pakistan. The renewed warmth between the United States and Pakistan has caught the eye of many, especially as President Trump's administration appears eager to embrace new offers from Islamabad. These range from access to rare earth minerals and investments in digital currencies to the tantalizing proposal of a strategic port on the Arabian Sea. On the surface, these gestures seem to signal a promising partnership, but the deeper story is far more complicated and fraught with risk. History paints a picture of U.S.-Pakistan relations that are anything but stable. For decades, Islamabad has positioned itself as a vital ally—first as a bulwark against communism and later as a counterterrorism partner. Yet, each chapter of engagement has been defined more by convenience than by shared ideals or enduring trust. When Pakistan joined hands with the United States during the Cold War, it sought to leverage American support primarily to counterbalance India, especially over the volatile Kashmir region. Despite American assurances to the contrary, U.S. military aid was later used against India, sowing seeds of distrust that endure to this day. The transactional nature of this relationship has repeated itself time and again, whether during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan or the so-called war on terror. Pakistani leaders have often described their cooperation with Washington as a “handshake but no embrace,” highlighting the lack of a genuine, sustained alliance. Even when U.S. support tipped the scales in Pakistan's favor, such as during the 1971 crisis that led to the birth of Bangladesh, the partnership quickly unraveled when expectations weren't met. Fast forward to the present, and familiar patterns are emerging. Recent moves by the Trump administration—inviting Pakistan's military chief to the White House, agreeing to advanced weapons sales, and even offering to mediate the Kashmir dispute—have unsettled New Delhi. For India, these overtures threaten the strategic partnership it has built with the United States over decades, a partnership that has become increasingly critical as China's influence in the region grows. Pakistan, meanwhile, continues to court Washington with calculated gestures, from nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize to offering access to strategically significant ports near Iran and Chinese investment zones. While these may appeal to Trump's personal ambitions and geopolitical sensibilities, they are unlikely to herald a lasting shift. Pakistan's deep ties to China, its inconsistent record as a counterterrorism partner, and its long-standing rivalry with India all suggest that any current thaw will be short-lived. In the end, the allure of a revitalized partnership masks the reality that Pakistan remains a precarious ally. Pursuing closer ties risks unraveling the hard-won trust between Washington and New Delhi, potentially undermining years of strategic progress in South Asia. What appears to be a blossoming relationship is, in truth, a delicate and often illusory convergence of interests—one that history warns will not endure.