Pakistan's hidden 'Trump' card: How Islamabad has played Washington over the years

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Just weeks after coming back to power this year, US President Donald Trump in March thanked Pakistan for handing over ISIS-K terrorist Mohammad Sharifullah who was involved in the suicide bombing at Kabul airport in 2021.

However, what remained hidden from the public view was a "secret" arrangement between Pakistan and the new Trump administration. According to a report in The Print, Sharifullah was in the custody of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for nearly a year. He was arrested in April 2024.

The Pakistani government under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif simply waited for the right moment to hand over the ISIS-K operative to US. What also remained hushed up was the fact that ISI had used Sharifullah’s network to run multiple covert operations during his time in custody. Islamabad was biding its time, waiting for the right moment to play its cards and curry favour with Washington.

There have been multiple instances of this, such as the handovers of Mullah Baradar, Osama bin Laden’s aide Abu Zubaydah, and Bali bombing suspect Umar Patek — all timed to serve Pakistan’s diplomatic interests, as cited in a report by The Times of India.

These are among the many examples of the marriage of convenience between Pakistan and US. Over the years, Pakistan has played Washington time and again to suit its interests even while it continues to maintain its all-weather bilateral bonhomie with China.

As journalist Vikram Chandra rightly noted in his post on X: "No country in the planet knows how to play US better than Pakistan."

No country on the planet knows how to play the US better than Pakistan.

*Penal tariff rates on India for buying some of its oil and arms from Russia. Pakistan literally runs its entire economy and defence as a Chinese satellite. 19% concessional tariffs. *”Don’t be a member… — Vikram Chandra (@vikramchandra) August 1, 2025

He cited several instances of Islamabad’s double game and how it manages to escape Washington's ire despite being China's closest ally.

Pakistan's expedient appeal for Trump is largely shaped by the current geopolitical realities and fostered by its tactic to give the impulsive US President what he needs.

US-based South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman said on X that Pakistan's possible mediating role during the Israel-Iran conflict may have added some positive momentum to ties with Washington.

"An overlooked driver of unexpected resurgence in US-Pakistan ties may be Pakistan’s mediating role w/Iran. Munir likely pitched this in meeting w/Trump. Was 1st item mentioned in Rubio-Dar call readout. Much recent high-level Pakistan-Iran engagement, pre & post Iran-Israel war," Kugelman noted.

Besides this, Islamabad has clearly taken an effusive approach when it comes to Trump. PM Sharif has repeatedly thanked Trump over his self-proclaimed role in brokering a ceasefire with India. Pakistan army chief Asim Munir, who was invited for a lunch with the US President, backed Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize.

The country is also willing to engage with US on crytocurrency, another way of getting Trump's attention. Its newly formed Crypto Council recently signed a pact with US-based World Liberty Financial, which involves several high-profile figures such as Trump's sons Eric and Donald Junior.

It’s no surprise, then, that Pakistan continues to get a pass on actions for which Trump holds other nations accountable.

As Chandra pointed out, Trump is willing to overlook Pakistan's close ties with China even as he threatens other countries over their ties with BRICS. Moreover, US is happy to bomb Iran for building nuclear weapons but doesn't take any action against Pakistan for harbouring dreaded terrorists like Osama bin Laden.

"Don’t be a member of BRICS” threats to the rest of the world. Pakistan is China’s closest ally. No problem. *Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan get bombed for terror links. Osama Bin Laden is literally found in Pakistan. No consequences. Iran gets bombed for trying to build a nuclear weapon. Pakistan does go nuclear, and also proliferates nukes across the world. All is good," Chandra said.

Some experts also note that Trump's move to hyphenate India and Pakistan may be a way of exerting pressure on New Delhi. In a report, NDTV said that its recent oil deal with Pakistan is another way of Washington to put pressure on India to stop buying Russia crude and purchase from US instead.

It's hard not to link Trump's decision to announce an oil partnership with Pakistan just hours after he called out India for buying Russian oil and slapping secondary tariffs on New Delhi. Especially when the details of Pakistan's oil reserves are sketchy at best. Some reports suggest Pakistan might possess up to 9.1 billion barrels of technically recoverable shale oil, but the figures remain speculative since no commercial-scale exploration or extraction has validated them to date.

It is a great gift and honor that @Potus is bestowing on Pakistan's General Asim Munir by hosting him for lunch. Besides Indo-Pakistan relations, the General is likely to have the following on his agenda: 1. Get US investment in Pakistan's minerals via military-owned companies,… — Zalmay Khalilzad (@realZalmayMK) June 18, 2025

Former US diplomat to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, had once warned Trump about Pakistan’s long history of double game. However, it appears that the US President's myopic interests are taking a toll on long-term bilateral ties built over many years.