After the Pahalgam terror attack, the US strongly supported India, condemning the attack and promising wholehearted support. President Donald Trump described the attack as a “heinous attack” and offered cooperation to make sure the perpetrators are brought to justice. United States spy chief Tulsi Gabbard was also of a similar view, stating that the US would support India in pursuing the attackers. US House Speaker Mike Johnson further stated, “America would do everything possible to assist India in its war against terrorism.”
But diplomatic interactions notwithstanding, recent US interactions with Pakistan’s highest military officials indicate a greater reality—one India cannot afford to overlook.
Pakistani Air Force Chief’s Washington Visit Sparks Eyebrows
On July 2, Pakistan’s Air Force Chief Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu had a series of top-level meetings in Washington at the Pentagon, State Department, and Capitol Hill. The declared objective: to “further enhance bilateral defence cooperation and mutual interest.
At the Pentagon, Sidhu had a meeting with US Air Force Chief of Staff General David W Allvin and Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs Kelli L Seybolt. Joint training, sharing of technology, and institutional partnerships were the areas of discussion during their meeting. At the State Department, Sidhu had a meeting with Brown L Stanley and Eric Meyer, who are important political-military and South Asian affairs officials. On Capitol Hill, Sidhu met with US legislators Mike Turner, Rich McCormick, and Bill Heizenga.
A Pakistan Air Force release called the visit “a strategic milestone in the Pak-US defence partnership,” and said it would assist in addressing “key regional and global security issues.”
Experts indicate Sidhu’s visit is an attempt to gain American military equipment, such as F-16 Block 70 aircraft, AIM-7 Sparrow missiles, and HIMARS rocket launchers. This comes after India successfully carried out attacks during Operation Sindoor, which eluded Pakistan’s China-provided missile defenses, destroying HQ-9P and HQ-16 systems, according to reports.
Pakistan’s Army Chief Dines with Trump
Sidhu’s visit to New York comes on the heels of a significant previous meeting—on June 18, Pakistan‘s Army Chief General Asim Munir had a meeting with Donald Trump at a closed-door lunch in the White House. Although the content of the conversation remains unrevealed, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said that the meeting followed the nomination of Trump by Munir for the Nobel Peace Prize for “stopping a nuclear war between India and Pakistan.”
This symbolic move is a sign of Pakistan’s larger game of reviving warm relations with Washington in the face of growing tensions in the region.
A Timeline of Tactful Tilt-Ups of US-Pakistan Military Relations
The recent spate of US-Pakistan military interactions is a sign of a possible reset—dramatic, given how Trump had previously accused Islamabad of giving “safe haven to terrorists” and “nothing but lies and deceit.” Joe Biden had also described Pakistan as “one of the most dangerous nations.
Nonetheless, US-Pakistan relations have always varied according to strategic expediency. After Pakistan was established in 1947, Cold War politics united the two countries. In 1954, they entered a defence agreement, and in 1961, Pakistan had been given $2 billion in American aid—largely military.
The partnership changed after the 1965 Indo-Pak war, when the US imposed an arms embargo. The 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan revived the partnership, as Pakistan was used by the US as a major supply base for US-backed Afghan mujahideen. The US sanctioned the sales of F-16s to Islamabad at this time.
Again in 1990, President George HW Bush halted aid, putting F-16 shipments in abeyance. The attacks of 9/11 brought back the relationship once again, and between 2002 and 2020, Pakistan had $34 billion spent on it as aid—$23 billion for security purposes, including $8.2 billion worth of direct military aid.
This revolving door was turned in 2018 when Trump suspended aid, tweeting, “The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid… and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit.”
But just last year, Trump approved $397 million for keeping Pakistan’s F-16 fleet in flying condition.
A Tactical Rebalance or Strategic Shift?
Analysts think that this re-engagement is strategic, motivated by mutual but fleeting interests. America wants Islamabad to keep an eye on the situation in Afghanistan and balance China’s increasing presence, while Pakistan needs American equipment and credibility.
“Trump’s overtures to Pakistan must not be interpreted as betrayal or drift from India,” Retired Indian Army Lt General Syed Ata Hasnain wrote in The Indian Express. “It is more accurately interpreted as tactical engagement by geography, legacy ties, and changing regional threats.”
The Hudson Institute agrees, arguing it would take much more than diplomatic niceties to restore US confidence in Pakistan, particularly given Islamabad’s ongoing alignment with Washington’s primary competitor, China.
Should India Worry?
Though India has emerged as the US’s preferred partner in the Indo-Pacific, developments merit close attention. The likelihood of a re-hyphenation in US policy towards South Asia—inducting India and Pakistan together diplomatically—would be an alarming setback for New Delhi.
While India needs to be cautious—particularly since Pakistan is simultaneously wooing both Beijing and Washington—the depth of India-US engagement, ranging from Quad coordination to strategic tech transfers, clearly indicates that any renewed US initiative towards Pakistan is, at best, a tactical move rather than a strategic shif