Joe Biden and Pakistan

In 2011, during a visit to Pakistan, the then US Vice President Joe Biden dismissed the notion that the United States wanted to weaken Pakistan or lean towards India. He emphasized that the United States would not abandon Pakistan.

By 2012, US-Pakistan relations had frozen and hatred for the United States was growing in Pakistan. In contrast, US relations with Pakistan, under the Trump administration, have seen its ups and downs, which has been largely positive in the current era.

Although President Donald Trump expressed his displeasure through tweets and tried to put pressure on Pakistan. In early 2018, Pakistan’s security assistance was suspended, the movement of Pakistani diplomats stationed in the United States was restricted, and statements were issued regarding reductions in military and education training programmes.

However, later, things changed and after President Trump’s tweet of “lies and deception” of US security assistance, Pakistan became the US frontman in the Afghan peace process. Pakistan has enabled the two states to work together to bring the Afghan Taliban to the negotiating table.

On the other hand, if Biden, who is inching closer to win the US election, according to statistics, Pakistan will find an old ally in the White House.

As Vice President, when he played a key role in Afghanistan and Pakistan policies, Biden managed to shift US aid from military to the civilian in Pakistan.

The whole world, including the United States, witnessed several changes after the 2016 election when Donald Trump was sworn in as the President. At present, Pakistan has moved very close to China.

China is investing heavily in its mega infrastructure projects in Pakistan, such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Biden also promoted his “friendship” with the Chinese leaders. And in May 2019, he even remarked that the world’s second-largest economy is “not competitive for us.”

However, the situation has changed. COVID-19, which started in Wuhan, China, has wreaked havoc in the United States and continues to this day. After Trump’s criticism of China, it would be difficult for Biden to gain influence in Pakistan or China in the future.