Inching forward

International relationships fluctuate up and down and few more so than that between Pakistan and the US. There is by now the jaded ‘do more’ mantra that the Americans recycle regularly and the clouds of suspicion and mistrust that fog the atmosphere — but behind all the huffing and puffing the nuts and bolts have to be attended to and one of the minor issues but important in diplomatic terms is the protocols around the return of Pakistani citizens that the Americans want for whatever reason to deport. Now the US has proposed that Pakistan formally sign an agreement that seeks to establish such procedures and there is an expectation that Pakistan will enter the first round of negotiations to this end, with a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the table.

It is unlikely that the numbers involved are huge but this is important because it requires complex negotiation that is going to include the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Intelligence Bureau and the Ministry of Interior and all working in concert with American agencies. Trust is going to be an important component of talks on both sides, and the absence of trust has loomed large for years. It is possible that there are already back-channel moves that are working on the trust deficit, and this is a front-of-house suggestion that aims to systematise those moves into something more concrete.

Broadly speaking we welcome the proposal. The downside of any successful negotiation is that the US may be able to deport people that whilst they may be Pakistani are by no means friends of the state. Some may view the current inability of the US to deport some undesirables as something to our benefit rather than detriment. The purpose of the draft agreement is to enhance ‘the efficient and timely issuance of travel documents’ to those that the US wishes to deport but for the absence of items such as a passport. We are unlikely to be flooded with deportees even if agreement is reached, but if a workable protocol is established then a corner of the trust deficit is chipped away, and our cautious support is extended.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28^th, 2017.

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