After the initial hyperbole over US President-elect Donald Trump's effusive conversation with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the official tone from Islamabad has become more observant.
Describing Sharif's gesture as a "courtesy call”, Nafees Zakaria, a spokesman for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, stressed that the country’s relationship with the United States was not about personalities, but instead about institutions.
Zakaria said Pakistan would welcome any effort by Trump to ease regional tensions, but the spokesman added, "We do not comment on bilateral relations between sovereign countries."
The Pakistani media also flaunted the ‘warm’ conversation between the two leaders. The Express Tribune went on to suggest that the U.S. President-elect, who called Pakistan a "fantastic country" with "fantastic people," might "prove to be Islamabad's good friend."
However, the commentators marked a cautionary note over Trump's conversation given his lack of foreign policy experience and his close business relations with India.
The penchant for hyperbole that Trump often exhibited in off-the-cuff campaign speeches was quite evident in the phone call.
"Please convey to the Pakistani people that they are amazing and all Pakistanis I have known are exceptional people,” Trump said.
On being invited to visit Pakistan by the Prime Minister, Trump said that he would love to come to a fantastic country, fantastic place of fantastic people.
“Please convey to the Pakistani people that they are amazing and all Pakistanis I have known are exceptional people,” said Donald Trump.
