Will Pakistan make a fatal mistake backing the United States against Iran?

Tensions in West Asia have escalated drastically with Israel striking Iran with missiles, Iran retaliating in kind, and the United States bombing three nuclear sites in Iran over the weekend. During the exchange of fire between Israel and Iran, Pakistan’s chief of army staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, made a visit to Washington DC. This was a surprise for many, including in Pakistan. 

Munir was there at the invitation of the United States government, ostensibly to mark the 250-year anniversary of the US military. Even weeks ago, Pakistan-US relations were seemingly still at rock bottom. Pakistan was an important ally in the United States’ “War on Terror” centred in Afghanistan. But since the United States withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, Washington DC has shown little interest in Pakistan. During Donald Trump’s first term as president from 2017 to 2021, he called the country a safe haven for terrorists and accused its government of “lies and deceit”. Even Joe Biden, when he became the US president after Trump’s first term, referred to Pakistan as one of the world’s most dangerous nations.