Foreign policy — a reset

Whilst this is a welcome development, the latest proposals seem little more than a pink-tinged wish list

Events in the wider world have necessitated a resetting of Pakistan’s foreign policy; and on Friday Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited the foreign affairs ministry to lay out a refreshed set of policy guidelines. Whilst this is a welcome development, it is difficult to see the latest proposals as little more than a pink-tinged wish list. There is nothing inherently wrong with what is being proposed and in an ideal world they would stand as a credible blueprint for a rosier future — but we live in a world far from ideal. A peaceful neighbourhood, the resolution of disputes through dialogue, a refurbishment of ties with Afghanistan and, most optimistically, a ‘deeper engagement’ with the US despite its closer meshing with India and Modi — all entirely laudable.

All attempts by this government — and to its credit it gets bonus points for trying consistently — at dialogue with India have either failed early in the process or never got off the ground at all. Afghan relations have been on-off and stop-start for most of the last two years and are currently in the freezer. As for the US this government has fumbled the play, India stole a march as it offered both profit for America and a chance to counterbalance the rise of China. Events in the Arabian Peninsula generally have not played well for Pakistan, and the best that can be said is that a masterly inactivity is being deployed against considerable pressure from any number of Arab allies. There is a clearly stated parliamentary wish to have no involvement with any of the conflicts that rage across the region, and rightly so. The rest of the world appears largely deaf to rights violations in Kashmir by India, and such sensitivities were never on the agenda in the Trump-Modi dialogues. This is unlikely to alter much in the near future.

The reset would find considerably greater favour if it was the preface to a detailed road map in terms of where foreign policy was headed and how we would be getting there. In detail. With a timetable. That at least would be an unequivocal signal to all that Pakistan knew where it was going and how it was going to get there.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 2^nd, 2017.

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