MUM is the word on either side of the line between the donors and the NGOs.

Spokespersons at the US consulate refused to comment, advising instead to visit the White House website regarding any questions on President Trump’s policies. Likewise, most NGOs indicated that “nothing can be said” at the moment which might have a negative impact on funding from their US donors.

The Americans did emphasise that the statement given in response to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s telephone conversation last November with the president-elect was “good and positive”. But the litany of executive orders churned out by the White House has led to anxiety in the sector.

In total, the US obligated nearly $67 billion to Pakistan between 1951 and 2011. In the 1990s, the funding was halted and USAID offices were closed. However, 2009 onwards, aid was resumed after the US Congress approved the Enhanced Partnership for Pakistan Act (Kerry-Lugar-Berman bill) which authorised a tripling of US economic and development-related assistance to Pakistan, or $7.5 billion over five years.

From 2001 onwards, Pakistan has been given more than $33bn in aid and military reimbursements by the US.

It is interesting to explore what the fears are based on.

During the long-winding election campaign, leading voices representing the local civil society had been outright supporters of Hillary Clinton, which, in turn, means they were actively and strongly against Trump. The intense paranoia is understandable.

“We are already facing strict inspection by agencies which are monitoring our funding and activities. Given the way Trump has behaved thus far, many of us feel that there might be someone monitoring conversations and at some point there will be repercussions,” said a noted civil rights activist who in the past has been a beneficiary of State Department’s Inter­national Visitors Leadership Programme.

Similar views were shared by many in the development sector. Though none had anything concrete to share, the stress on their faces said much more than their words.

An aid consultant based in Islamabad provided a bit of context. “The development sector is very competitive and paranoid. The paranoia is so intense that many pro-Hillary activists feel anything they say or tweet might be taken out of context by competitors here, with the screenshot posted to the Trump administration which may lead to a funding crunch,” said the consultant.

But there are those who stress that the fears are unfounded. “Pakistan is too important to be ignored,” said a high-ranking official of an NGO which has been a recipient of US and EU funding.

“As much as the report by Hudson Institute suggests that Trump should curb aid to enforce certain conditions, nowhere has the current administration given any indication that it will act on it. Though it does make for viral content, it is just a rehash of what needs to be said in the US to keep getting funds in DC,” said the official with an Army background.

“Pakistan is thriving. On the bright side, there is always the option of striking it out with China or Russia.”

Mosharraf Zaidi, a columnist and former adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UN, and USAID, said a lot of people in the development sector “don’t understand global politics … The western countries are committed to spending money on development. There are UN, OECD commitments and it is not easy to get away from these. Else it would have happened a long time ago”.

Having said that, “in the long term, I think it is very healthy for Pakistan to have less aid so that we may do away with dependence,” he said.

“Over the past ten years or so, donor influence has decreased in countries including China, Turkey, Indonesia and India. They have done well on their own and so can we,” he stressed.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2017