KARACHI:
Pakistan continues to suffer on the diplomatic front, despite having had a principled stand on the Kashmir issue and offering sanctuary to thousands of Afghan refugees fleeing their war-torn country. Our diplomatic failures stem from the fact that many diplomatic assignments are doled out as favours to political cronies, retired officers and bureaucrats to serve their political and commercial interests.
For decades, thousands of Afghan refugees and leaders have lived Pakistan. Yet they seem to have a hostile attitude towards the country. This could be because of mismanagement of those assigned to interact with them. To rectify this, Pakistan first needs to self-reflect. We must remember that it was Zia who volunteered to fight the US proxy war in Afghanistan, which embroiled us in a needless misadventure that resulted in over 70,000 fatalities and an economic loss of several billion dollars. Apart from this, there has been lacklustre support on the issue of Kashmir from other Muslim countries. Pakistan has had transactional relationships with many of these countries; we have offered security expertise and assistance, but never established trade relations.
Ambassadors can acquire diplomatic skills through proper qualifications, training, and knowledge of international affairs. These are skills that are not easily transferable to everyone, and such positions should not be given to those that have no prior exposure to diplomacy, foreign affairs or trade links.
Malik Tariq Ali
Lahore
Published in The Express Tribune, August 10th, 2021.
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