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Today's Paper | May 03, 2024

Published 10 Nov, 2016 04:40pm

Does Donald Trump love Pakistan? This video says yes

"I love Pakistan. I. Love. Pakistan," a smiling Donald Trump tells a camera at what appears to be a swanky TV event.

The video is currently making the rounds on social media, just a day after Trump was elected President of the United States.

The Republican was voted into the White House in what seemed to many a stunning upset in the US presidential election.

Although it is unclear when the video was originally recorded, the message appears to be a positive one, despite Trump's headline-making criticism of Pakistan and his anti-Muslim rhetoric in the run-up to the Nov 8 election.

Trump has pledged to suspend immigration from a number of Muslim countries including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Somalia and said that people with roots in these countries are a threat to the Western world.

Donald Trump's surprise election as United States (US) president has Pakistanis wary that he may accelerate what they see as a shift in American policy to favour India in the long rivalry between nuclear-armed neighbours.

To many Pakistanis, Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric and business ties to India are signs that his administration could shift further toward New Delhi.

"America will not abandon Pakistan, but definitely, Trump will be a tougher president than Hillary Clinton for Pakistan," said Hasan Askari Rizvi, Lahore-based foreign policy analyst. "I think India will have a better and smoother interaction compared to Pakistan."

Trump has yet to lay out a detailed policy for South Asia, although he recently offered to mediate between India and Pakistan regarding the Kashmir dispute.

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