Leaders, tribal groups angered by Trump’s Afghanistan policy
Anti-American sentiment high in Pakistan following U.S. president’s threat of sanctions
ISLAMABAD— A wave of anti-American anger has swept Pakistan this past week, triggered both by U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to punish the country for harbouring insurgents and by his invitation to India, Pakistan’s longtime rival, to become more involved in Afghanistan’s future.
Tribal and religious leaders have held protests at border crossings, and banners urging “Say no to America!” have appeared across the capital. Officials have cancelled trips to Washington and asked a State Department official to postpone her planned visit here this week. Across the country’s fractious political spectrum, leaders have raised a collective fist at Trump.
In a stern speech on Aug. 21, Trump laid out a new militarized policy for the region, saying he would send more American troops to Afghanistan and insisting that Pakistan must “do more” to rein in Islamist militants or face possible sanctions, such as cutting aid or revoking its status as a major non-NATO ally.
Afghan officials welcomed Trump’s message, but Pakistanis accused him of “bullying” their country despite its history of co-operating with the United States in foreign conflicts. They said he had betrayed them by reaching out to India, which Pakistan views as a persistent threat to its existence.
“President Trump wants to portray us as a villain despite the huge losses we have suffered in the socalled anti-terrorism war,” said Hafiz Hamdullah, a conservative Muslim cleric and legislator.
“Both India and the U.S. want to use Afghanistan against us. These charges of terrorist hideouts are just to destabilize Pakistan.”
Mian Raza Rabbani, the left-leaning chair of Pakistan’s Senate, denounced Trump in similar terms. “No country in the world has done more than Pakistan to counter the menace of terrorism,” he declared. Invoking the “legacy of Vietnam,” he said that if Trump “wants Pakistan to become a graveyard for U.S. troops, let him do so.”
In tribal regions along the border, where U.S. drone strikes have killed hundreds of suspected militants and civilians, one crowd of people chanted, “Long live Pakistan.” Elsewhere, religious activists held signs saying, “India, America and Afghanistan are conspiring against Pakistan.”
Pakistan’s national security committee, which comprises top military and civilian officials, sharply rejected Trump’s charg- es of sheltering insurgents and demanded that the U.S. military “eliminate sanctuaries for terrorists” on the Afghan side. “The Afghan war cannot be fought in Pakistan,” the group declared.
Pakistani officials took other steps to show their unhappiness. They requested that a planned visit by Alice Wells, the senior State Department official dealing with the region, be indefinitely postponed. Pakistan’s foreign minister, who had been planning a trip to Washington, instead announced he would travel to China, Russia and Turkey.
Today, the dominant sentiment here is one of betrayal by an old friend that owes a large debt to Pakistan.
“We have sacrificed for so many years to help the United States and this Afghan war has destroyed us,” said Rehman Malik, a Pakistani senator and former interior minister.
“We don’t want anything but their respect. We are a victim of terrorism, not a cause of it. We want peace in Afghanistan, not war. Now America is befriending India at the expense of Pakistan. And that really hurts.”
Despite the hostile rhetoric, there were signs that U.S.-Pakistan relations are far from collapsing. Over the past few weeks, several low-profile meetings were held between current and former officials from both governments to discuss how to keep relations on an even keel.