Shehbaz looks forward to working closely with incoming US administration: Imran’s aide to head to Washington as Trump makes historic comeback

ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON: Donald Trump won a sweeping victory Wednesday in the US presidential election, defeating Kamala Harris to complete an astonishing political comeback that sent shock waves around the world.

The polarising Republican’s triumph, following one of the most hostile campaigns in modern American history, was all the more remarkable given his criminal conviction, a near-miss assassination attempt and warnings from a former chief of staff that Trump is a “fascist”. Trump is now set to serve a second non-consecutive term as the 47th president. The first was Grover Cleveland, who served as the 22nd president from 1885 to 1889, followed by a second stint in the White House as the 24th from 1893 to 1897.

Following Trump’s victory speech to his supporters, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated him on his return to the White House. In his congratulatory message posted on X, formerly Twitter, the premier mentioned Trump as president-elect extending congratulations on his “historic victory for a second term”. “Congratulations to President-elect Donald Trump on his historic victory for a second term,” the prime minister wrote on his X timeline. Shehbaz said that he looked forward to working closely with the incoming administration to further strengthen and broaden the Pakistan-US partnership.

Zulfi Bukhari, who is Imran Khan’s adviser on international relations, has announced his upcoming visit to Washington, where he plans to meet US President-elect Donald Trump’s team members, daughter and his son-in-law to discuss what he describes as injustices faced by the jailed PTI founder and his party.

Bukhari, a London-based close friend of Imran Khan and former PTI cabinet member, told The News that he has always been in contact with various team and family members of President Trump, including Jared Kushner.

When asked if he intended to approach the US President-elect regarding Imran Khan’s release from jail, Bukhari replied that he would wait until the initial transition period settled before traveling to Washington. There, he plans to discuss issues including human rights abuses, erosion of democratic values and the breakdown of rule of law in Pakistan, with a particular focus on Imran Khan’s case.

“Donald Trump’s daughter and son-in-law are personal friends of mine,” Bukhari shared, adding that he also has connections with several members of the president-elect’s team. He disclosed that Trump had previously expressed concerns to him on the sentencing of Imran Khan by a Pakistani court.

According to Bukhari, Trump has a “soft corner” for Imran Khan, with a friendship and shared experiences connecting the two leaders, especially as both have faced challenges following the end of their tenures.

Following Trump’s recent election victory, Bukhari took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate the president-elect on behalf of Imran Khan and PTI. In his post, he wrote: “On behalf of Imran Khan & PTI, congratulations to President-elect @realDonaldTrump & VP @JDVance on his re-election and remarkable comeback — a triumph against formidable odds and numerous challenges. This victory sends a powerful message from those who felt overlooked and calls for transformative change and economic stability. We look to the future with hope that this new chapter will bring decisive action on pressing global issues, particularly resolving the conflict in Gaza. May this be a time of unity and healing, bridging divides to build a more peaceful and prosperous world. Seeing democracy prevail brings hope to the rest of us.”

Imran Khan also felicitated the Republican on his election win. “The will of the American people held against all odds,” he wrote on X. The former prime minister hoped that Trump would push for peace, human rights and democracy globally.

Omar Ayub Khan, the Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly and PTI lawmaker, also extended congratulations to Trump and his VP-elect JD Vance on winning the polls. “It is hoped that this team will foster better relations between the people of Pakistan and the people of the United States of America,” he wrote in a post on X.

The PTI also took to its official X handle to congratulate the Republican candidate and his VP-elect, stating that the people of the United States have spoken and their “mandate has been respected”. It added that it is “a stark contrast to Pakistan, where the public mandate was blatantly stolen”. The felicitations from the PTI and Ayub come at a time when the party’s founder Imran Khan remains imprisoned for over a year following convictions in multiple cases. The wish for Trump is also crucial as the party has, according to claims made by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, urged foreign powers to influence Pakistan for the release of their founder and ensure moving him abroad.

During his tenure as the prime minister of Pakistan, Imran shared friendly ties with Trump administration — a reason why the PTI celebrates the US president-elect’s return to power as a potential advantage.

Adviser to Prime Minister on Political Affairs and PMLN leader Rana Sanaullah said the PTI is happy, but they don’t know why and what they are happy about. “I don’t think there can be any pressure on Pakistan after the US election,” he said. “It will not happen, if it happens, our problems can be eased.”

Sanaullah said if Trump keeps to statements, it would have no effect, and if they take any steps, the politics of Imran would end. Imran Khan’s statement that America has finished his government would be completely finished. “I don’t think there will be any pressure on the basis of which Pakistan will be forced. They [PTI] are happy but this will go against them. Although not like May 9, Trump also managed an attack by gathering his supporters.”

Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, in his message for Trump, congratulated him and his team on the “election and historic comeback” and “resounding victory”. Terming the Republican’s win and mandate “anti-war”, Bilawal wrote: “We hope the new administration will prioritise peace and help end the cycle of perpetual global conflict.” Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif congratulated Donald Trump. She expressed the hope for further improvement in Pakistan-US relations.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, meanwhile, said the government believes Donald Trump would not call for Imran Khan’s release from prison after he takes the office. “We don’t think Trump will call for PTI founder’s release. Let’s wait for 15 to 20 days and see what stand he takes,” said the defence minister while speaking during the Geo News special transmission on the US election.

Meanwhile, PTI leader Raoof Hasan said the party had never hoped that Khan would be released after Trump’s victory. “We had never pinned hopes and neither are we relying on Trump’s win. We have taken support from the judiciary, parliament and protest for PTI founder’s release,” he asserted. Raoof said that no such discussion has taken place within the parliamentary party. He added that the PTI has “normal interaction” with the establishment, adding that they don’t have any contact with the establishment on any “specific issue or Imran’s release”.

Speaking in the Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, PTI leader and MNA Ali Muhammad Khan said the party founder chairman had expressed happiness over Trump’s victory. He noted after two months, permission was given to meet Imran, adding that PTI founder’s health is fine, and he expressed happiness about Trump.

However, he explained during the meeting, the PTI founder did not comment on his release but recalled he was in touch with Trump when he was the prime minister. Imran said that Trump’s administration will be neutral. Ali Muhammad quoted Imran as saying that the arrival of Trump will make a difference for there is definitely a positive side to Trump being the President of the United States. “It is a good thing if the US administration that intervenes in Pakistan will go. The arrival of such a man who had good relations with the former prime minister will make a difference,” Ali Muhammad believed.

“We are in the courts for the release of Imran, now we are going to the protest phase in parliament. And it would be an exaggeration if I did not praise the campaign that the overseas Pakistanis have run for his release. Because of their love for Pakistan, they support the PTI founding chairman,” he pointed out. “They think that the coming of Trump will probably improve the situation for Imran Khan, the negativity that was under Biden will be reduced.”

He explained that the PTI founder has clarified that he was not going to leave the country. “People who have foreign assets leave the country, which is corruption. I ask the government to put me in ECL,” he quoted Imran as telling him. He added the PTI founder will not go for revenge after coming to power and that no one needs to fear for he is coming to take the nation forward.

He said that Imran Khan does not believe in personal revenge. “The PTI founder hoped that if the establishment would be neutral, things would move forward. Imran said that there was no hope that anything will change because of talks. However, Imran said that for the development of country, it is important that the government, institutions and people are on the same page.”

Meanwhile, Vice President Harris ran a centrist campaign that highlighted Trump’s inflammatory messaging and use of racist and sexist tropes. But his apocalyptic warnings about immigration found their mark with voters battered by the post-Covid economy and eager for change after the Biden years. Hispanic and Black Americans were seen as crucial voting blocs for Harris, but exit polls showed they tilted toward Trump in numbers far greater than in 2020.

Opinion polls predicted a nail-bitingly close contest -- yet the results came surprisingly fast, including Trump’s flipping of swing states Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin that Biden won four years ago. Trump captured enough states to secure the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency. By early Wednesday, the count stood at 277 for him and 224 for Harris, with five states yet to be called. He appeared on track to win the popular vote too -- the first time he has done so in three presidential runs.

Republicans also seized control of the US Senate -- crucial in helping Trump push his agenda through -- although many House of Representatives elections remain undecided. Trump is the first president in more than a century to win a non-consecutive second term. He is also the only person to be elected as a convicted felon -- he will face sentencing in a New York court for fraud on November 26.

The brash businessman and former reality TV star is on course to break another record as the oldest-ever sitting president during his four-year term. He will surpass Biden, who steps down in January at 82. The dollar surged, stocks rallied and bitcoin struck a record high as news of Trump’s victory emerged. But turmoil likely lies ahead.

He has repeatedly suggested he would end the conflict in Ukraine by pressuring Kyiv to cede land to Russia, and his threat of mass deportations of undocumented immigrants has stirred concern in Latin America. He also returns to the White House as a climate change denier, poised to dismantle his predecessor’s green policies and jeopardise global efforts to curb human-caused warming. For all his dark promises of revenge against enemies, Trump remains famously unpredictable. His campaign rallies, filled with grievance, insults and misinformation, featured extreme rhetoric.

But he earned viral online moments that played on his everyman appeal and showman’s instinct -- like his appearance at a McDonald’s drive-thru and impromptu news conference from a garbage truck. Star supporters like tech baron Elon Musk also helped him appeal to young men. Trump campaigned on tax cuts, less regulation and sky-high import tariffs to promote growth and boost manufacturing, despite warnings of trade wars and higher prices for consumers. His victory was spurred by post-pandemic inflation that pushed up consumer prices by more than 20 percent, and he now stands to reap the benefits of an economy in good shape. Trump often lurched into foul language and violent imagery. But that hard-charging style drew in many voters who still see him as a Washington outsider. Harris’s message of unity, focus on abortion rights and warnings of Trump’s threat to democracy left her short of what would have been a historic win as America’s first woman president.

In his victory speech Trump outlined his vision for a potential second term, promising to “fix our borders” and “fix everything about our country.” “America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate,” Trump told the cheering crowd, listing supposed victories in Montana, Nevada, Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. “We have taken back control of the Senate,” he added. The Republican said that his presidency will take America to “golden age”.

Trump, seeking to return to the White House after his 2020 defeat, outlined his vision for a potential second term, promising to “fix our borders” and “fix everything about our country.” “Frankly, this was, I believe, the greatest political movement of all time. There’s never been anything like this in this country and maybe beyond and now it’s going to reach a new level of importance because we’re going to help our country heal, to help our country heal.

“We have a country that needs help and it needs help very badly. We’re going to fix our borders. We’re going to fix everything about our country.

“We’re going to have to seal up those borders. And we’re going to have to let people come into our country. We want people to come back in, but we have to we have to let them come back in. But they have to come in legally. They have to come in legally.

“And in addition to having won the battleground states of North Carolina, I love these places, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. We are now winning in Michigan, Arizona, Nevada and Alaska, which would result in us carrying at least 315 electoral votes,” he added.

“You have some great senators and some great new senators. And also looks like we’ll be keeping control of the House of Representatives,” said Trump.

Trump called the SpaceX owner Elon Musk “a new star” and one of the most important people behind the Republican success. “Let me tell you, we have a new star. A star is born, Elon (Musk). He is. He’s an amazing guy. We were sitting together tonight. You know, he spent two weeks in Philadelphia and different parts of Pennsylvania campaigning. But he’s a character. He’s a special guy. He’s a super genius. We have to protect our geniuses. We don’t have that many of them,” Trump added.

With crowd chanting “Bobbie, Bobbie!”, Trump said: “Robert F Kennedy Jr, he’s going to help make America healthy again. And now he’s a great guy. And he really means it. He wants to do some things and we’re going to let him go to it. I just said, but, Bobbie, leave the oil to me.”

Commenting on the economic crisis, the Republican said: “We’re going to be paying down debt. We’re going to be reducing taxes. We have we can do things that nobody else can do. Nobody else is going to be able to do it. China doesn’t have what we have. Nobody has what we have. But we have the greatest people also. Maybe that’s the most important thing.”

“We want to have borders, we want to have security, we want to have things be good, safe. We want great education. We want a strong and powerful military. And ideally, we don’t have to use it. You know, we had no wars, four years. We had no wars.”

Recalling the assassination attempts he survived, Trump said: “Many people have told me that God spared my life for a reason, and that reason was to save our country and to restore America to greatness.”

In a related development, Vice President Kamala Harris has officially conceded the 2024 election, calling President-elect Donald Trump to offer her congratulations. Harris, a senior aide said, “called President-elect Trump to congratulate him on winning the 2024 presidential election. She discussed the importance of a peaceful transfer of power and being a president for all Americans.”

A person familiar tells CNN the call only lasted a few minutes. Trump’s campaign said in a statement about the call that Trump “acknowledged Vice President Harris on her strength, professionalism, and tenacity throughout the campaign, and both leaders agreed on the importance of unifying the country.”