Oct 02, 2026 12:29 pm IST

Opinion | Trump May Like Pak's Generals. But His Bureaucrats Have Other Ideas

Official Washington has a different take from political' Washington

Tara Kartha Tara Kartha Columnist

Tara Kartha Columnist

A recent speech by Foreign Minister S Jaishankar at the Asia Society saw him in his element: scholar, diplomat and academic, with only a very light overlay of the politician. The conversation dealt with multiple issues, each important, including some blunt statements on relations with the US. While he talked of ‘bumps' in trade negotiations and difficulties of dealing with the Trump administration et al, where he chose to come down heavily was to do with the US ignoring the ‘primary concerns' of India on terrorism from Pakistan. That is undoubtedly worrisome, but there is another reality. Official Washington has a different take from ‘political' Washington. It is important and useful to see how this is working out, and how much space this has in the face of Trump's publicly declared appreciation for a lacklustre Pakistani general.

Those Annoying Politicians

There is no doubt at all that in recent days, Washington has been extremely bothersome. Following the statement by US ambassador Sergio Gor that Kashmir was an ‘important part' of India, which sent the Pakistan foreign office into a panic, it has now been reportedly confirmed that the US position remained unchanged, regarding it still as disputed territory. Unsurprisingly, therefore, Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif in his UN Address continued to invite mediation from the US with his fulsome praise of the President for ‘saving' billions of people from certain nuclear war during Operation Sindoor. Clearly, any change here requires a political decision, and that is not yet forthcoming.

The Bureaucrats Do Their Job

Meanwhile, a Congressional Report of March 2026 continues to list terror groups operating from Pakistan, dividing them into five broad but not exclusive types: globally oriented, Afghanistan-oriented, India and Kashmir-oriented, domestically oriented, and sectarian (anti-Shia). 

Notably, it observed that 12 of the 15 groups listed were designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) under the US. It also noted with concern the spike in terrorism inside the country, the highest in 11 years. All that matters. It remains highly unlikely that any US company will invest in that turbulent country. ‘Interest' in rare earths remains just that. Not a dollar is forthcoming. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is not cutting it any slack either. It recently........

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