Heera Mandi 2.0: Pakistan’s transactional relations with the United States: From liaisons to clashes

Pakistan has long embraced the timeless wisdom of the world’s oldest profession, mastering a foreign policy stripped of ideology, thriving on the arithmetic of transactional gain, and spending loyalty like currency on the highest bidder.

Pakistan is always adept at identifying the ideal client for its geopolitical services, and its affiliations change as the bed linens do. Its romantic history is a scandalous tapestry of short-lived relationships, resentful arguments, rebound romances, cruel heartbreaks, rivalries, and even the odd menage a trois or four.

Islamabad has become a veritable Heera Mandi as a result of its unrelenting search for the next profitable alliance. Pakistan has become a geopolitical courtesan as a result, constantly courted but never married to a long-term cause. Each new patron—be it a superpower flashing Cold War cash, a neighbor promising strategic depth and roads, or a rising hegemon dangling economic lifelines—brings a fleeting thrill, only to depart when a shinier prospect beckons.

Allahabad’s Subdued Dance

The Financial Times article “How Pakistan wooed Trump–and rattled India” is a compelling illustration of how Pakistan skillfully uses its resources to draw in clients. (Hint: the word “woo” is included in the headline for a reason.)

The article (August 11) outlines Pakistan’s strategic diplomatic dance to improve relations with the United States under President Donald Trump, leading to an unexpected thaw in US-Pakistan ties while straining US-India relations. The following was the tactic used:

• High-Profile Engagements: In June 2025, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, had a two-hour private lunch with Trump at the White House. Additionally, Munir attended the retirement ceremony of General Michael Kurilla, the US Central Command (Centcom) commander, in Florida.
• Token Gift: A pivotal moment was Pakistan’s delivery of a high-value ISIS-K operative, responsible for the 2021 Kabul bombing that killed over 180 people, including 13 US soldiers. This arrest in March 2025 earned Pakistan “wah-wah” from Trump during his State of the Union address.
• Services Offered: In April 2025, representatives of World Liberty Financial, a Trump-backed cryptocurrency venture, visited Pakistan and signed a letter of intent with Pakistan’s crypto council. Zach Witkoff, son of US special envoy Steve Witkoff, highlighted Pakistan’s “trillions of dollars” in mineral wealth for tokenisation. Bilal bin Saqib, Pakistan’s minister for crypto and blockchain, emerged as a “shadow diplomat,” pitching Pakistan’s crypto potential to Trump’s inner circle and participating in trade talks with Washington.
• Flattery and ***Kissing: Following the May 2025 India-Pakistan ceasefire, Pakistan nominated Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in “preventing a nuclear war.” This move was part of a broader charm offensive, with Munir praising Trump’s “strategic leadership” for preventing “many wars” during a speech to Pakistani-Americans in Tampa.
• Ceasefire Credit: Pakistan credited Trump for brokering the May 2025 ceasefire with India, despite India’s insistence that the ceasefire was negotiated directly between the two countries’ military commanders without US mediation. This flattery contrasted with India’s public contradiction of Trump’s claims, which strained US-India relations.

Warms Trump’s Heart

Donald Trump is more of a tradesman than a statesman. He claims that no one trades better than him and that he strikes wonderful deals. Pakistan’s aggressive wooing melted his heart and Nawab Trump showered his love and money on Pakistan, like a true connoisseur of adah and nakhra.

• Energy and Mineral Deals: Trump announced a deal to develop Pakistan’s “massive oil reserves,” and Pakistan offered investment opportunities in energy, critical minerals, and cryptocurrencies to revive its bailout-dependent economy. These initiatives aligned with Trump’s focus on economic deals, contrasting with India’s less accommodating trade stance.
• Favourable Trade Terms: The US imposed a relatively light 19% tariff on Pakistani goods, compared to a punitive 50% tariff on Indian goods, reflecting Pakistan’s success in securing better trade terms.

Relationship, er, romance Rekindled

A change is needed in Pakistan’s relationship with Washington, which has been a rollercoaster of romances, breakups, and revenge porn. From being the scorned courtesan dancing to China’s tunes, Islamabad is now dying to embrace Washington. Who knows how this odd Washington-Islamabad-Beijing trio will develop? But Pakistan might soon be dealing with yet another heartbreak if history repeats itself, as it always does.

Woh Pati, Patni Aur

The Indian classic Pati, Patni Aur Woh, has long served as the inspiration for the geopolitical romantic comedy between Pakistan (Pak) and the United States. Envy and dread of the third factor—woh—have shaped and governed their epic romance more so than love for one another.

Depending on its relationship with Russia, China, the Islamic world, and India, Washington has both embraced and abandoned its preferred service provider since the creation of Pakistan. Pakistan has always been Washington’s favorite hunting ground when it needed a partner because of its geopolitical location on the edge of Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Communism.

With Angelina Jolie’s flawless performance, Pakistan has contributed to this drama, which is more ridiculous than the Brad Pitt film Original Sin. Since the 1950s, their story has been a wild ride filled with assistance packages, treachery, and awkward make-up sessions.

Over the next few days, we revisit this saga that started with Washington’s reluctance to India’s Partition. It soon turned into a transactional epic with Love at First Aid before reaching its lowest point with the 2021 Joe Biden pullout that left Pakistan high and dry.

Keep an eye out for this captivating tale, which is more dramatic and action-packed than Heera Mandi.