IN typically sensational fashion, Donald Trump pronounced on social media earlier this week that the US and Pakistan had concluded a deal to explore the latter`s `massive oil reserves`. The agreement was later confirmed by Pakistan`s finance minister after negotiations in Washington.

Predictably, neither side provided details about the coveted black gold. Trump simply stated that he is in the process of deciding which oil company will `lead the partnership`. Much to the delight of Pakistani officialdom, Trump also added a backhanded comment about a future in which Pakistan sells oil to India. Who cares about facts when the purpose is to engage in mutual back-slapping? Almost as an aside, it was also announced that the US had agreed to reduce tariffs on Pakistani exports to the US. Again, no concrete figures were provided but because of Trump`s parallel post about the imposition of a 25 per cent tariff rate on India we should presumably be celebrating.

Trump`s methods are now old news, dramatic effect and personal interest taking precedence over actual substance.

Pakistan`s hybrid government appears to have jumped on the same gravy train, with little concern for various political, economic and ecological impacts in the medium to long run.

Let`s start with the question of whether Pakistan actually possesses large oil reserves. Beyond what is already being extracted from prominent sites like Sui (gas) and Ghotki, preliminary data indicates oil and gas deposits in and around the coastal districts of Sindh and Balochistan as well as some ways inland.

There are reportedly also offshore deposits south of the Makran coast in the socalled Murray Ridge zone, but these are as yet, just estimates.

The Trump deal signals intent to not only verify what actually lies beneath the surface but also to start drilling as soon as possible. Perhaps unsurprisingly for the particular nexus of state and multinational capital that is implicated here, no one seems to be concerned with a number of red flags, including the raging insurgency in Balochistan, already devastated coastal ecologies and the increasingly sparse flows of water in the lower Indus basin. Trump`s climate denialism explains his desire to shout the words `drill baby, drill!` at every opportunity. But the government in Pakistan has, since the 2022 floods, advertised itself as a major change agent in the global political economy, especially the so-called energy transition away from fossil fuels.

The contradictions don`t end there.

Over the past few months, the Pakistanicommentariat has spent a lot of energy insisting that there are qualitatively new political and economic alignments taking shape in our region and the world at large.

During the military exchange between India and Pakistan in May, for instance, state-nationalist sloganeering was accompanied by dreams of a new geopolitical formation in which Pakistan aligns clearly with China against the troika of the US, Israel and India. This imagery was propagated further during the Zionist aggression against Iran, when Pakistani officialdom was said to have stood steadfastly with its neighbour to the west in opposition to the troika.

But beyond wishful thinking, there is little reason to believe that our militarised ruling class is concerned with principles, let alone any kind of substantive anti-imperialism. The oily deal with Trump only confirms that this hybrid regime, like almost all that have preceded it, continue to think of Pakistan`s territory and resources as auctionable to the highest bidder. Whetherthe resource in question is oil, gas or minerals that can be pitched as central to the renewable energy transition, local communities that are the only rightful owners continue to be denied their due,even punished for demanding it. Alongside the criminalisation of Baloch youth, `counterterrorism` operations have been launched in resource-rich Pakhtun regions.

Celebrating a shady oil exploration deal with the Trump White House that would only deepen the alienation of the peripheries and contribute nothing to the welfare of working people in metropolitan areas confirms that the regime couldn`t care less about the masses and fragile ecologies. Indeed, the fine print of the deal mentions mineral exploration and cryptocurrency, making clear that the till now mythical oil reserves are just the tip of the iceberg.

The problem is identifying the political constituency to chart an alternative future.

The PTI remains the largest mainstream party but is in internal disarray and faces continuous repression. Progressive forces outside the mainstream should eschew wishful thinking and unproductive echo chambers so as to coalesce around an antiregime programme, else Trumpism will remain the only game in town. • The wnter teaches at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.