When Imran Khan was ousted from power two years ago, he was quick to blame the US for his downfall. Khan was in the Pakistani parliament. However, the former cricketer-turned-politician alleged that his country’s powerful military generals and Washington . The claim was unsubstantiated, but his supporters firmly believe in it.
“Historically, has had an influence on Pakistan’s foreign and security policies, and there is a widely held belief among many Pakistanis that Washington can influence Pakistani politics,” Raza Rumi, a US-based Pakistani analyst, told DW.
Khan’s supporters, however, are only critical of the US Democratic Party, and in particular President Joe Biden, who they say didn’t want Khan at the helm. They believe Khan’s troubles started with Republican politician Donald Trump’s defeat in the 2020.
“It is true that Biden never called Khan when he was prime minister. The Biden administration ignored Khan, and many (in Khan’s administration) appealed him to get in touch,” Rumi underlined.
Mutual liking
as president had maintained good ties with Imran Khan. The two leaders also met in Washington, and exchanged compliments during their meeting.
Trump and Khan share a similar leadership style — both are populist politicians and are considered “political outsiders” in their respective countries.
“The PTI supporters are banking on Donald Trump’s victory on and believe that he would pressurize ‘s military to change its approach towards Imran Khan. There is an exaggerated view of Trump being pro-Khan because he welcomed Imran Khan to the White House and later praised Khan in one of his speeches,” said Rumi.
Supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, founded by Khan in the 1990s, believe that the Khan-Trump alignment was disrupted by Biden’s ascent to power. Now, they are hoping that Trump’s potential return to the White House would ease matters for their imprisoned leader.
“The general perception in Pakistan is that Donald Trump is quite close to Imran Khan. Trump has expressed this in his interactions with the Pakistani American community and elsewhere. He developed a good relationship with Khan,” Jimmy Virk, a Middle East-based Khan supporter and journalist, told DW.
“Trump likes strong leaders,” he added.
Last week, the Pakistani-American Public Affairs Committee in the US endorsed Trump for the November 5 polls, claiming that a “legislative coup” under Biden led to the ousting of Imran Khan. The allegation has been repeatedly denied by the Biden administration.
Can Trump really help Khan?
PTI supporter Virk says that the “Washington establishment” has its own priorities but “the president can influence policies like Trump did during his term.”
One of the reasons behind Washington’s proactive engagement with Islamabad during Trump’s presidency was the protracted conflict in . after spending two decades and billions of dollars there, and Pakistan, which had a considerable influence on the Afghan Taliban, was essential to make this happen. Khan, at the helm at the time, was needed to deliver on this.
But if Trump comes back to power, would he still need Pakistan and Khan?
“When it comes to Pakistan’s domestic affairs, the US role is exaggerated,” says US-based analyst Rumi.
“There is no direct military aid flowing into Pakistan unlike the past decades when the country was a frontline state in the US led war on terror or the special agreements that Islamabad entered during the Cold War. Now, the US has indirect leverage in the form of its power on the boards of Bretton Woods institutions, notably the IMF and the World Bank, which are important for Pakistan’s fragile economy. Will Trump use these levers if he is elected as president remains to be seen,” he told DW..
But Khan supporter Virk is optimistic that Trump will prefer Khan over other Pakistani politicians if he becomes president again.
“The vibrant Pakistani American community in the US has developed close ties with the Trump campaign and has promised to support Trump instead of the Democratic candidate, . Trump follows a non-interventionist and anti-war policy, and he is against ‘regime change operations’ on foreign lands,” Virk said.
Maria Sultan, an Islamabad-based security analyst, points out that the US-Pakistan ties tend to be more stable under a Republican administration.
“At the end of the day, US elections are dealt by the US public. Because the Republicans have had a more stable Pakistan-US relations than the Democrats, Pakistanis are hopeful that Trump will bring in a new era of stability between the two countries,” she told DW.
Why Islamabad-Washington ties go beyond US presidents
Regardless of who sits in the White House, the US has historically developed and maintained close ties with Pakistan due to its geopolitical goals and security objectives in a region, which has countries like Afghanistan, , and .
, and the conflict between Iran and , could mean the security dynamics in Pakistan’s neighborhood have once again become crucial for the international community. For that reason, analysts say, the role of the Pakistani military establishment is now more important for the US than Khan or any other politician.
“Apparently the [military] apparatus in Pakistan has had extraordinary engagements with Saudi Arabia, especially after the escalated,” says UAE-based security analyst and journalist Ali K. Chishti..
“Washington sees Islamabad as an ally against Tehran in case of a conflict. There has been some sort of an agreement on this during the US-Pakistan strategic talks. As for US elections, if Trump comes to power, the new administration will reach out to Pakistan without caring much about Khan or other politicians,” Chishti added.
Alluding to the powerful military generals, the analyst said that “Trump knows who to engage with in Pakistan.”
Additional reporting by Haroon Janjua, DW reporter in Islamabad.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic
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