Trump’s Pakistan Link Revealed: Prioritises Family Business With Islamabad Over Strategic Ties With India, Says Ex-US NSA Jake Sullivan | Industry

Former United States National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan has accused President Donald Trump of sidelining America’s long-standing partnership with India in favour of advancing his family’s business interests in Pakistan.

In an interview with the MeidasTouch YouTube channel, Sullivan described the development as “one of the more under-reported stories” of Trump’s foreign policy. He said the move represented a “huge strategic harm” to the United States, given that the Washington-New Delhi relationship had been cultivated for decades by successive governments on a bipartisan basis.

Bipartisan effort at risk

Sullivan stressed that India, the world’s largest democracy, is a natural partner for the US across technology, economics, talent exchange and in countering China’s growing strategic influence. He argued that abandoning this trajectory damages not only bilateral relations but also Washington’s credibility worldwide.

“Every other country in the world, Germany, Japan or Canada, will look at the situation and say ‘that could be us tomorrow’,” Sullivan remarked, warning that such unpredictability could push traditional allies to hedge against the US.

Trump’s ties with Pakistan’s crypto sector

The former NSA’s comments come in the backdrop of Trump’s growing commercial and political engagement with Pakistan. In April 2025, World Liberty Finance (WLF), a decentralised finance platform reportedly backed by Trump, signed agreements with the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC) to promote cryptocurrency adoption and blockchain innovation. Trump and his affiliates are said to hold a majority 60 per cent stake in WLF, which was launched in 2024.

A US delegation attended the signing ceremony, including Zachary Witkoff, son of Trump ally and WLF co-chairman Steve Witkoff. The partnership underscored Trump’s deepening economic interests in Pakistan’s digital finance sector.

Diplomatic tilt towards Islamabad

Trump’s overtures to Pakistan were not limited to crypto. In June 2025, Pakistan’s army announced that President Trump and Field Marshal Asim Munir had discussed trade, economic development, and cryptocurrency during a meeting at the White House.

The following month, Trump unveiled a major trade deal with Islamabad, pledging US support to help Pakistan exploit its “massive oil reserves”. At the same time, he threatened a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, signalling a sharp departure from Washington’s traditionally balanced approach to South Asia. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif publicly welcomed the agreement, calling it “historic” and expressing hope for deeper cooperation.

Sullivan argued that such policy shifts undermine years of progress in the India-US relationship, which had expanded significantly over the last two decades in areas such as defence cooperation, counter-terrorism, and technology.

He cautioned that the US turning away from India at a time of heightened global economic and geopolitical uncertainty could erode Washington’s reliability as a partner. “Our word should be our bond. Our friends should be able to rely on us, and that has always been our strength,” he said.

Wider credibility concerns

Sullivan further emphasised that the implications stretch beyond India. If key allies perceive that US commitments can be compromised by personal or family business interests, it could have ripple effects across global alliances. “What’s happening with India right now has huge direct impacts. But it also has this reverberating impact across all our relationships and partnerships in the world,” he noted.

Trump’s actions come against the backdrop of trade friction between Washington and New Delhi. Earlier this year, the Trump administration imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian exports, citing domestic industry protection. Analysts say this has already placed pressure on India’s economy, especially amid ongoing global supply chain disruptions.

Against this backdrop, the suggestion that personal financial interests may have influenced the White House’s South Asia strategy has further sharpened criticism from foreign policy experts.