With the US hurrying to broker peace between India and Pakistan after terrorist elements from the latter launched a deadly attack on April 22 at Pahalgam, leading to India retaliating and striking terror outfits with Operations Sindoor, eyes are now on a certain cryptocurrency deal.
According to TOI, Pakistan recently negotiated a deal with World Liberty Financial (WLF), where the Trump family has a 60 per cent stake.
Just weeks before Pakistan's terror attack on tourists at Pahalgam in India, a "hastily-launched" Pakistan Crypto Council inked a deal with World Liberty Financial.
The Pakistan Crypto Council is said to be Islamabad's attempt to make it South Asia’s cryptocurrency capital. Despite its nascency, reports put Zach Witkoff meeting Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and army chief General Asim Munir.
Moreover, Trump scions Eric and Donald Jr. have been frequenting the Middle East, too, between the last week of April and the early weeks of May, ahead of the POTUS trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in mid-May.
If reports from the Associated Press are to go by, Trump's sons were laying the groundwork for The Trump Organisation. This also led to Eric Trump announcing an 80-storey Trump Tower in Dubai.
But what is more intriguing is Eric Trump joining Zach Witkoff. He is not only one of the co-founders of World Liberty Financial but also the son of Trump's trusted envoy to the region, Steve Witkoff.
Yes, Pakistan is not a stone's throw away from the Middle East. In fact, there is an effective buffer of Afghanistan and Baloch forces between them. But reports point to Witkoff making the trip.
Moreover, Pakistan's war—despite India rightfully terming it as state-sponsored terrorism—according to Islamabad, is ideological and in religious lines, which seems to also align with certain Middle East interests, especially since the events of the Arab Spring.
World Liberty Financial's stablecoin, the USD1, was what an Abu Dhabi-based state-backed investment firm picked when wanted to back a $2 billion investment in Binance. The Trump family interests converge here as well.
However, the US president seemed to have washed his hands clean denying any knowledge about the transaction when asked by journalists. The White House, too, categorically denied any "conflict of interest".
Yet, this Islamabad-Trump connection is not going to sit easy with India, especially after the POTUS on many occasions called the Indian PM "my dear friend Modi".
