Partner Content: BBC Urdu

Donald Trump or Joe Biden: Whose victory will be better for Pakistan?

Decision-makers and key figures in the federal capital Islamabad also have their say in the US presidential election, but the situation is no longer the same as it was in 1980, when Pakistan's conservative political parties openly supported Republican presidential candidates.
 
In this day and age, Pakistan's political and governmental circles prefer to hide their likes in this regard.
 
In the 1980s and 1990s, when Pakistan's political climate was tense due to ideological conflicts in the region following the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, Pakistan's right-wing political forces fielded Republican candidates in the US presidential election. Tax was supported.
 
This was at a time when some right-wing newspapers were openly supporting former President George W. Bush (Sr.) in the US election.
 
The main reason for doing so was that the Republican Party had generously provided material and financial support to the Afghan 'Mujahideen' in the war in Afghanistan, but times have changed. Today, it is impossible to find a person in Islamabad who openly supports one of the US presidential candidates. But this does not mean that Pakistanis have no keen interest in the US presidential race or have any likes or dislikes in this regard.

Some in the House of Representatives in Islamabad believe that if President Donald Trump is re-elected, it will be in Pakistan's best interests. This section in government circles is mostly made up of members of the ruling party who believe that Prime Minister Imran Khan has established a special relationship with President Trump over the past two years and if President Trump is re-elected. But once they emerge, these relations will continue.
 
Fahad Hussain, editor of the English-language daily Dawn in Islamabad, commented on this section of Pakistani government circles supporting the US president, saying there were clear indications that Pakistani government circles wanted Donald Trump. Win the presidential election again.
 
In Fahad Hussain's opinion, "If President Trump wins for the second time according to the priorities of Pakistani government circles, there are indications of two kinds of progress in future Pakistan-US relations." He believes that over the past two years Relations between President Trump and Prime Minister Imran Khan have grown significantly.

The second development is that the facilitation provided by Pakistan to the United States in negotiations with the Taliban has strengthened the practical contacts between the authorities of the two countries. He needed Pakistan's help, and in the process, Pakistan has forged closer ties with officials in Washington. This is another indication that if Trump becomes president for the second time, this series of contacts between Pakistan and the United States will continue.
 
On the other hand, US presidential candidate Joe Biden is not only well-versed in the region, but also has a deep acquaintance with Afghanistan and has been involved in the Afghan process.
 
In Fahad Hussain's analysis, "If Biden's success is taken into account, it is easy to say from his policy of relying on officials and experts what his conduct will be after becoming president." In that sense, it would be a better option for Pakistan. If that happened then we would have to keep in mind that the US government does not have a positive view of Pakistan.
 
Biden is more likely to be the US presidential candidate as the Establishment's favorite candidate to shape Pakistan's foreign policy.
 
Leading diplomat Abdul Basit, who served as Pakistan's ambassador to New Delhi for three years, confirmed that the Pakistani establishment was more pro-Biden and wanted him to win the US presidential election, as Islamabad expected. Biden's views are close to those of the US security establishment.

Biden's success will in practice mean a real understanding of the problems in our region, while on the contrary, it is not possible to say with certainty about President Trump.
 
He said that the days were gone when the Pakistani government used to openly express its support for the presidential candidate of its choice in the US presidential election. "Today is the time when people on both sides are realistically examining their interests and moving forward in their light."
 
The Pakistani government's inclination toward Biden this time is due to the fact that Biden is closer to the thinking of the US security establishment, especially on Afghanistan.

"We are facilitating US talks with the Taliban and in return we expect them to urge India not to create problems for us in Balochistan and other border areas with Afghanistan," Basit said. We expect the United States to save us in the FATF case as well. We are definitely negotiating with Washington on this. "
 
Donald Trump is also working on what he will leave behind in the United States and around the world after being re-elected President. This could mean that Washington puts pressure on Islamabad for Pakistan to recognize Israel.
 
It is also possible that Trump will use Pakistan to resume talks with India. This will be their success in South Asia. As for India's proximity, Biden was the one who lobbied for a nuclear deal between the United States and India. At the time, he was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
 
Former Pakistani Ambassador to the United States Jalil Abbas Jilani confirms that the re-election of Donald Trump will further enhance Pakistan-US relations. Endorsing this old foreign policy, he said that relations between Pakistan and the United States have improved significantly over the past two years. "Whether Trump wins the election or Joe Biden, relations between Pakistan and the United States will continue to grow."

According to Jalil Abbas Jilani, "If Biden wins, it will be up to the professional foreign policy of the Pakistani government to do something with security experts that will allow Biden to say something about our future policy."
 
Jalil Abbas Jilani expressed hope that Pakistan would play a key role in the region after the US presidential election. "We have brought the United States and China closer together since 1971," he said. If the security situation worsens, we can play a role in normalizing relations once again. "
 
"Iran-US relations are another issue that has deteriorated dramatically over the past two years. Due to the lack of Iran-US diplomatic relations, our embassy in Washington is also looking at Iranian interests in the United States. Maybe we can play a role in bringing these two rival countries closer to a place where they can resolve their differences.