DAWN.COM

Today's Paper | December 22, 2024

Published 10 Nov, 2016 04:40pm

Does Donald Trump love Pakistan? This video says yes

"I love Pakistan. I. Love. Pakistan," a smiling Donald Trump tells a camera at what appears to be a swanky TV event.

The video is currently making the rounds on social media, just a day after Trump was elected President of the United States.

The Republican was voted into the White House in what seemed to many a stunning upset in the US presidential election.

Although it is unclear when the video was originally recorded, the message appears to be a positive one, despite Trump's headline-making criticism of Pakistan and his anti-Muslim rhetoric in the run-up to the Nov 8 election.

Trump has pledged to suspend immigration from a number of Muslim countries including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Somalia and said that people with roots in these countries are a threat to the Western world.

Donald Trump's surprise election as United States (US) president has Pakistanis wary that he may accelerate what they see as a shift in American policy to favour India in the long rivalry between nuclear-armed neighbours.

To many Pakistanis, Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric and business ties to India are signs that his administration could shift further toward New Delhi.

"America will not abandon Pakistan, but definitely, Trump will be a tougher president than Hillary Clinton for Pakistan," said Hasan Askari Rizvi, Lahore-based foreign policy analyst. "I think India will have a better and smoother interaction compared to Pakistan."

Trump has yet to lay out a detailed policy for South Asia, although he recently offered to mediate between India and Pakistan regarding the Kashmir dispute.

Read Comments

Shocking US claim on reach of Pakistani missiles Next Story