WASHINGTON: If elected, the Trump administration in the US would continue to treat Pakistan as an important ally in a sensitive region, says the Republican election manifesto released at the party convention.

The convention, which ended in Cleveland, Ohio, on Thursday night, endorsed the manifesto and nominated Donald Trump as its official nominee for this year’s presidential elections.

The manifesto, called the party platform in the United States, regards a working relationship with Pakistan as necessary for US interests and gives it a prominent position in its plans for the South Asian region.

The 58-page party platform is unexpectedly friendly towards Pakistan and recognises the historic ties the US has had with the country. It also stresses the need to continue this relationship.

“Pakistanis, Afghans and Americans have a common interest in ridding the region of the Taliban and securing Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal,” says the document while explaining why it is important to continue a close relationship.

The reference to Pakistan’s nuclear programme, however, was interpreted in a section of the media as indicating the Republican desire to seek more US oversight over those weapons. Some reports also claimed that the Republicans wanted direct US access to Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal and if Islamabad refused to do so, they would back moves to impose similar restrictions on Pakistan that currently apply to Iran.

But when Dawn contacted a spokesman for the Republican presidential nominee, he said all such speculations were incorrect.

“The intent of the language in the party platform is to keep Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal safe,” said the spokesman, J.D. Gordon.

“Anything beyond that, and what is reported in the media in India or Pakistan, would be misrepresenting the party platform,” said Mr Gordon, who was a Pentagon spokesman in the Bush administration.

And the manifesto advocates working together in areas of common interests — such as terrorism and narcotics — with mutual trust and cooperation.

The Republican Party platform also marks a pleasant departure from usual Washington rhetoric of blaming Pakistan for its own internal as well as regional problems and asking it to do more.

Instead, the document points out upfront that conflicts in the Middle East and the region have created security challenges for Pakistanis who are grappling to manage the situation politically.

The document also avoids blaming Pakistan for Afghanistan’s security challenges and instead points the finger at the US administration for disregarding advice by commanders.

It refers to security of Pakistani nuclear arsenal as an element in regional security and in a collaborative context.

“Conflicts in the Middle East have created special political and military challenges for the people of Pakistan,” says the manifesto.

“Our working relationship is a necessary, though sometimes difficult, benefit to both, and we look toward the strengthening of historic ties that have frayed under the weight of international conflict.”

The next portion, however, contains a veiled reference to Dr Shakil Afridi, who was detained after he allegedly played a role in tracing Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, saying that the process of rebuilding ties with Pakistan “cannot progress as long as any citizen of Pakistan can be punished for helping the war on terror”.

The Republicans want Pakistan to release Dr Afridi immediately and have launched several moves in the US Congress to achieve this objective.

The document blames the Obama administration for failing to eradicate terrorism from the Pak-Afghan region, claiming that this “goal has been undermined by the current administration’s feckless treatment of troop commitments and blatant disregard of advice from commanders on the ground, particularly with regard to Afghanistan”.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2016