News Desk
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — In the quiet corridors of Islamabad’s ministries and the fortified compounds of Rawalpindi, an unusual optimism has begun to circulate. It is not rooted in democratic renewal or economic recovery. Instead, it rests on the return of a leader who once dismissed Pakistan as a “haven for terrorists.”
Pakistan’s military and civilian leadership, Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, have cast Donald J. Trump in the role of an unexpected benefactor. Their decision to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize has startled diplomats and analysts alike. To hear the Sharif government describe it, Trump is the figure most capable of restoring global stability.
The gesture reflects the vulnerability of Pakistan’s establishment. The country is struggling with a shrinking economy, rising public discontent and a crisis of political legitimacy. Faced with these pressures, the Munir‑Sharif partnership has placed its hopes in a transactional relationship with a president known for treating foreign policy as a series of personal bargains. By presenting Trump as an “angel” of order, they appear to be embracing the uncertainty of the America First worldview in the hope that it might unlock financial support and renewed military stature.
The nomination is not simply an act of flattery. It signals a misreading of the international moment. Islamabad credits Mr. Trump with helping defuse a brief border flare‑up with India. Many other governments see a leader whose second term has been marked by confrontations with both allies and rivals.
Trump’s withdrawal of foreign assistance and his sweeping tariffs have unsettled economies across Southeast Asia. In the Middle East, his administration has relied on high‑risk military actions while speaking the language of peace, a combination that has pushed the region toward repeated crises.
For Field Marshal Munir, the attraction is evident. He has been described as Trump’s “favorite field marshal,” a label that underscores the president’s preference for strongmen over elected institutions. His decision to meet Trump at the White House without the prime minister present has reinforced the perception that Pakistan’s military remains the country’s dominant political force.
The contradiction is striking. As the Sharif government praises what it calls Trump’s “pragmatic diplomacy,” it overlooks the fact that such pragmatism often leaves partners exposed. A world shaped by the impulses of a single leader in Washington is a world where long‑standing assurances can disappear overnight.
By tying their future to a figure known for unpredictability, Pakistan’s leaders are not securing stability. They are stepping into a drama whose script they do not control. In their eagerness to celebrate the man from Mar‑a‑Lago, they risk forgetting a lesson that has defined Pakistan’s modern history: in the realm of transactional politics, today’s favored general can become tomorrow’s expendable ally.
