Islamabad-US relations appear to be easing: Washington Post

ISLAMABAD(Web News) Pakistan — When Donald Trump was reelected president in November, officials in Pakistan feared the worst. During his first term, Trump had favored India, its archrival, while accusing Pakistan of “deceit” and providing a safe haven for “terrorists.”

But more than six months into Trump’s second term — in the wake of the most severe military confrontation between India and Pakistan in decades — the countries have undergone a striking role reversal. U.S. relations with India are in crisis amid mounting trade tensions and an increasingly personal spat between Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. All the while, Pakistani officials have quietly and successfully navigated Trump’s political world, fostering closer ties with the White House at a moment of global upheaval.
In a speech this month, Pakistan’s powerful army chief, Asim Munir, described his recent visits to the United States as “a sign of a new dimension” in the relationship.

Pakistan has recently secured one of the lowest U.S. tariffs among major Asian economies, at 19 percent — well below the 29 percent rate initially threatened by U.S. officials and far lower than the 50 percent tariff imposed on India for buying Russian oil.