When Washington came to Pakistan: a brief history

THE WEEKEND is just around the corner, and all eyes are on Islamabad. By the time the sun dips behind the lush green Margalla Hills, the federal capital’s skies will be buzzing with the landing of jets, bringing in delegations from Iran and the United States.

After brokering a ceasefire, Pakistan is now set to host crucial talks between Iran and Washington on Saturday, April 11 — a dialogue that will very much decide the fate of the Middle East and the rest of the world. The teams that will likely arrive comprise political heavyweights, including US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Consequently, preparations in Islamabad are underway in full swing: a red alert has been issued, over 10,000 security personnel deployed, and all entry points closed.

For Pakistan, this is a significant moment in its diplomatic history. Particularly with respect to the US, it has been a decade since a high-level American delegation, including the country’s vice president, visited Pakistan.

Here, we take a look at the history of all the times American presidents and vice presidents have visited Pakistan.

The day Karachi smelled of perfume

It was a cold and fragrant December morning in Karachi when the 34th president of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, landed in the port city on the invitation of his Pakistani counterpart, General Ayub Khan. The two leaders spoke on a range of topics: East-West relations, Soviet strategy in the Middle East, Pakistan-India ties, Central Treaty Organisation and Pakistan’s military requirements, and Afghanistan.

“No city dweller then alive and aware could ever forget this visit,” recalled academic Pervez Hoodboy in a column for Dawn. “Public and private buildings across the city had been spruced up weeks earlier. Decorative lights installed, roads re-carpeted, welcoming rehearsals performed in schools, and a massive musical fountain (later demolished) was especially constructed.”

He recounted how the outskirts of Karachi smelled of perfume that day. Eisenhower’s plane was scheduled to land at the Mauripur airbase, and at the time, the road to the city centre had a three- to four-kilometre stretch passing by the poverty-stricken Machar Colony, where the stench of open sewers and street toilets filled the air.

“Lest the American president’s olfactory sensibilities be offended, drums of perfume were flown in from Paris and sprayed along the roadsides,” Hoodboy wrote.

The payoff of the visit, he mentioned, was “generous for Pakistan’s........

© Dawn Prism