After Biden nominated Kamala Harris as his running mate, I authored an article titled “Trump vs. Kamala Harris: What is for Pakistan.” At the time, deeply immersed in Pakistan’s political landscape, I predicted that although both candidates could be detrimental to our national interests, Kamala Harris might be slightly more favorable.
Now residing in Michigan, I have had the privilege of being admitted into a local Pakistani community’s WhatsApp group which provided me with a unique opportunity to better understand the perspectives of the Pakistani diaspora, particularly regarding national and international issues. To gather their input, I posed a simple question in the group: “Harris or Trump—who do you think would be better for Pakistan?” The responses were heartfelt and candid. While most agreed that both could pose challenges to Pakistan’s interests, the majority leaned towards Kamala Harris, perceiving her as having a slight edge over Trump, particularly regarding the national interests of Pakistan and the Pakistani expatriate community. One member humorously remarked, “At least in the US, we don’t have ‘Ganjas,’ no immigrants, and no ‘lota’ politicians.”
One of our friends provided a detailed, articulate, and logical reply, which likely reflects the sentiments of many Pakistani expatriates. I am sharing his response here with only minimal edits, muting some harsher words: “I will definitely be voting for the Harris/Walz team. I understand that many expats, especially those following the Muslim faith, feel resentment. However, I firmly believe Trump would have been far worse had he remained in the White House. While we can’t know for sure, his track record speaks volumes. From moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, effectively recognizing it as Israel’s capital (a move no president before him would have dared), to declaring himself the ‘King of Israel,’ Trump emboldened Netanyahu to take even more brutal action against Gaza. Other issues important to me include women’s reproductive rights and the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, along with his attempts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. These are key reasons I could never vote for him. Family values are incredibly important to me, and Trump has consistently shown he doesn’t share them. He engaged in an affair with an adult film star shortly after his wife gave birth to his child and cheated on all three of his wives—Ivana, Marla, and Melania. Trump often claims to have a plan for everything, but rarely delivers. Did you notice that he didn’t even mention ‘building the wall’ in his recent speeches? Instead, he’s resorting to absurd scare tactics, like claiming immigrants are eating the dogs and cats of Americans.”
Qamar Bashir
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024