For a working policy both the military and civilian government must be on the same page
ISLAMABAD: The foreign policy of a state is the projection and extension of its domestic policy. But our foreign policy and domestic policy are not parallel. Where Pakistan is an informal ally of the US against war on terror internationally, domestically it is shaping policies to create space for banned terrorist organisations, bringing them to the structure of power. This dual attitude has created a vacuum for the anti-state factors to operate and use the people against the state such as India which has devised certain policies to sabotage Pakistan’s long struggle and efforts towards peace and economic stability.
Foreign policies are made for a country’s own interest, but unfortunately we formulate policies for other’s interests such as Zia’s policy of indulging in Afghan jihad and Musharraf’s policy post 9/11 to accomplish the US interests in the region. These policies brought nothing except instability in the country and hostile relations with Afghanistan, causing tremendous loss to the national economy.
For a working policy both the military and civilian government must be on the same page, voicing the narratives of the people. More importantly, the policymakers must pay due consideration to all important domestic socio-economic and political conditions, only then can we survive in the anarchical structure of the system.
Waqar Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, April 11th, 2017.
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