President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a tête-à-tête aimed at melting the ice, as both the countries have run into rough waters in their otherwise congenial relations. The call from the White House on the eve of Diwali celebrations apparently provided both the leaders to open their hearts in an informal manner, and talk of issues that are getting contentious with each passing day. India is one of the countries that is yet to strike a trade deal with the US, and is on the receiving end as more than 50% tariffs have been slapped on it. Delhi also feels the pinch of a sizeable raise in HI-B skilled visa fees, as Indian expatriates constitute roughly three-quarters of tech-workers.
The silver-lining, though, were the firm words from President Trump, warning India against any misadventure of going into another war with Pakistan. As a quid pro quo, the US has doled out a carrot by offering to mend its strained relations through a favourable trade deal with New Delhi. The role being played by the White House incumbent for normalising relations between India and Pakistan is laudable. Pakistan has rightly appreciated his efforts for brokering the ceasefire in its armed duel with India in May 2025, and endorsed his policy for ushering in a thaw in the region.
Pakistan, nonetheless, has to keep its vigil up while dealing with India, and at the same time be cautious with the US in an era of complex compatibilities. Thus, a principled policy is necessitated while dealing with President Trump, and given his impulsive personality not all eggs should be placed in a single basket. Pakistan's desire for entering into mega-business projects of rare earth minerals and crypto-currency should be duly ordained.
India and the US, irrespective of their current discord, enjoy a common denominator of seeing from the same prism in terms of their hegemonic designs in South Asia. Thus, with Delhi being indispensable for Washington, Islamabad must watch its steps and institutionalise its new-found trust with the US on a broader horizon.
