Foreign diplomacy

National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf recently expressed his resentment over the absence of an overdue call from US President Joe Biden to Prime Minister Imran Khan. His pessimistic tone left everyone questioning as to why President Biden could not be “persuaded” to make the phone call. Yusuf warned the US leadership that Pakistan has “other options” if the US continues to give a cold shoulder. This itself was enough to expose Pakistan’s desperation. However, the humiliation was furthered when Pakistan’s request to join the UNSC meeting on Afghanistan was denied.

Considering that Pakistan is a major stakeholder in Afghanistan, it is absurd that the country was not offered to join the meeting in the first place. Despite exhausting all resources and compromising self-integrity to fulfil the US objectives, Pakistan has remained unsuccessful in creating a mutually comprehensive relationship with the US. The never-ending trust deficit between the US and Pakistan can be understood through the parasitic US behaviour against Pakistan and Pakistan’s continued dependency on the US for economic and strategic interests. Pakistan needs to revisit its foreign policy goals. The country requires a vigorous strategy to explore multiple options to ensure that the country is not used as a scapegoat for anyone’s interests. It is time to realise that the US is no longer the sole superpower, given the humiliation it has suffered in Afghanistan. In the ever-changing global scenario, one country alone cannot decide the destiny of the world.

To avoid further exploitation, Pakistan must reduce dependency on any single country. Individuals at the helm of affairs must formulate a counter-narrative against the propaganda campaigns launched by the hostile countries against Pakistan. There is an urgent need for the realisation that political polarisation at home, the evil of dependency and a frail foreign policy will never earn a good name for the country.