On March 4, US President Donald Trump gave his first address to the Congress, speaking on a number of issues ranging from tariffs and inflation to border control and foreign wars.   

At one hour and 40 minutes, it was the longest presidential address to the Congress in modern history. An hour and 20 minutes into the address, after Trump had spoken about China and Panama, he spoke about the 2021 attack in Afghanistan in which 13 US soldiers were killed. 

“I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity and he is right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice. And I want to thank especially the government of Pakistan for helping arrest this monster,” he said. 

Such open recognition of Pakistan’s contribution has rekindled hopes of resetting bilateral ties, which have taken a backseat since the so-called war on terror years. 

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif shared a detailed response. 

“The wanted terrorist was apprehended in a successful operation conducted in the Pakistan-Afghan border region. As is well-known, Pakistan has always played a critical role in counter terrorism efforts aimed at denying safe havens to terrorists and militant groups the space to operate against any other country,” he said.

While Trump shared no further details about the terrorist, Sharif in his post on X identified the terrorist as Shareefullah, a “top tier operational commander” of Daesh’s Afghanistan chapter.

“Under the previous US administration, the relationship lacked substantive progress. It was clear that Pakistan was no longer enjoying the same level of engagement or recognition as a key strategic partner and ally as it once did,” Farwa Aamer, director of South Asia Initiatives at Asia Society Policy Institute, tells TRT World. 

US-Pakistan ties have been strained and “somewhat uncertain” in recent years, particularly following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, she adds.

On August 26, 2021, twin suicide attacks near the Kabul international airport killed over 170 Afghans and 13 US troops who were securing the airport for the exit of the US armed forces. 

Daesh took responsibility for the attack. 

The blasts were among the deadliest in Afghanistan in recent years. Joe Biden, the then-president, received heavy criticism for the chaotic exit from Afghanistan nearly 20 years after the US invasion.

US-Pakistan ties

According to CNN, Shareefullah was arrested as a result of close cooperation between the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Pakistan’s intelligence services.

Shareefullah, aka Jafar, was caught near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border after the CIA provided precise intelligence on his location.

A Pakistani newspaper reported that the CIA had been tracking Shareefullah for a while. The agency shared new intelligence about his location with Pakistan’s intelligence services, which then deployed an elite unit to capture him near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

This collaboration between the Trump administration and Pakistan’s government may mark the start of a major shift after years of strained ties, experts say. 

Trump’s recognition of Pakistan’s cooperation could strengthen the longstanding military-to-military relationship between the two nations as well, they add.

Pakistan has been grappling with significant domestic challenges like political instability, economic difficulties, and shifting regional dynamics. These challenges have continuously complicated efforts to reset or deepen bilateral relations, particularly beyond security cooperation, according to Aamer.

Following the US elections last year, it was expected that the relationship would largely continue on the same trajectory, with counterterrorism cooperation remaining the primary pillar of engagement, she says.

But the public acknowledgment of Pakistan’s cooperation by Trump is significant for two reasons, she says.

“First, it was a rare public expression of gratitude from Washington that did not go unnoticed. Prime Minister Sharif was quick to reciprocate,” she says. 

Pakistan's foreign affairs ministry said Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar received a telephone call from US National Security Adviser Michael Waltz on March 5. “Such moments of acknowledgment signal areas where cooperation remains active and valued between the two countries,” she says.

The Trump administration has made it clear so far in all its foreign policy engagements that it prioritises tangible deliverables, Aamer says. “In Pakistan’s case, the military continues to remain the institution seen as capable of delivering more than the civilian government,” she adds.

Zeeshan Salahuddin, director of the Centre for Global and Regional Connectivity at the Pakistani think tank Tabadlab, tells TRT World that Trump’s expression of gratitude is a “good positive development” for the short term. 

However, the latest development should be taken with a pinch of salt, he says. A brief statement in a moment of triumph cannot be treated as long-term policy in a politically volatile environment. 

This is particularly true for President Trump, who is an “extremely unpredictable actor in the foreign policy space”, he says.