Royals visit

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have landed in Pakistan to what some are calling their ‘most complex’ tour to date, with Islamabad keen to emphasise the improvement in the domestic security situation and the UK keen to illustrate its strong ties with the ancestral homeland of over one million of its citizens. Kensington Palace has called the trip “the most complex tour undertaken by The Duke and Duchess to date, given the logistical and security considerations”. The language in the statement, issued a month back, was odd, to say the least, considering that the trip was arranged at the request of the British government.

Nevertheless, Prince William and wife Kate arrived in Pakistan to a red carpet welcome at Nur Khan Airbase where they were greeted by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and several officials of Pakistan’s Foreign Office and British High Commission. The couple kicked off engagements on Monday — the second day of their five-day visit to Pakistan — with meetings with the PM and the President. They also signalled their support for women education in Pakistan by making a public school for girls in Islamabad the first stop on their tour.

This is the first visit by British royals since William’s father Charles and his wife Camilla came in 2006. Among the more serious topics of discussion expected during in their meetings with local officials in Pakistan’s climate change mitigation efforts and the ‘complex’ security situation in the region, according to Kensington Palace. The thorny subject of India — another former colony and homeland for many migrants to Britain — is also likely to come up, thanks in no small part to India’s oppressive rule over the disputed Kashmir region, especially over the past two months. While the tour itself may not accomplish much in the short term — as Prince William has no formal lawmaking or policymaking powers — it will help showcase Pakistan “as it is today, a dynamic, aspirational, and forward-looking nation”. Also, leaving a positive impression on the future king and queen of Great Britain can only be a good thing.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16^th, 2019.

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