THE arrogance of the decision reeks of a hubris that surely cannot be beneficial to bilateral ties. Rather astonishingly, the US administration of President Donald Trump has suspended the International Military Education and Training programme to Pakistan, denying a handful of Pakistan military officers exposure to and training in US military programmes for allied forces. It appears that the suspension may have a minimal effect in terms of the numbers of Pakistani military officers affected, but the potential impact on wider bilateral relationship is so unreasonable, ill advised and preposterous that it raises the question of whether the higher authorities in the US any longer understand the implications of the decisions they are making.

At no point has any Pakistani official suggested or even implied that a continuing training relationship between the Pakistani armed forces and the US is fundamental to the preparedness required of military officers. Yet, the small-mindedness of the US decision suggests a willingness to alienate the Pakistani state and its armed forces in a manner that surely can have no positive effect on the bilateral relationship. Indeed, since 9/11, when Pakistan-US ties were reset, there has been an understanding that Pakistan’s cooperation with the Western powers — not simply what is sought by the West, but what has been provided in fact — is rooted in a mutual understanding and cooperation that rises far beyond the immediate grievances that exist between the two states. Pakistani officials may be quick to point out the deleterious effects of a suspension in bilateral military ties, but the effect goes far beyond the training of a handful of individuals. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, the armed forces would not suffer in fundamental ways from the sudden and uncalled-for suspension to military training programmes, but there is a possibility that halting the latter will unnecessarily harden Pakistani resistance to even legitimate American demands.

History itself suggests that such attempts are counterproductive and may lead to undesirable consequences including but not limited to the rise of anti-American feelings in the country. Perhaps the administration of US President Donald Trump is under the mistaken impression that heaping pressure on Pakistan in any way that it can think of, even if the measures chosen are manifestly counterproductive, will lead to positive change in the bilateral relationship. But that assumption ignores Pakistan’s legitimate and continuing concerns when it comes to US actions in the region. It could be that the US believes denying Pakistani military officials access to and limiting interactions with their American counterparts will hurt this country more than it does the US. But the only obvious effect of such actions is to further remove the Pakistani state from dealings with not just the US superpower but the wider Western world as well. Please stop making the wrong choices.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2018