Look East reoriented

Prime Minister Imran Khan has exhibited Pakistan’s priority for regional integration. He set the tone of foreign policy, before his landmark visit to Russia, by saying Islamabad will desist from being part of any camp in realpolitik, and will be an equal partner in peace and development. His visit to Moscow has come at a time when the stakes are down in Ukraine, fearing an imminent invasion by Russia, and Pakistan too is pitched to choose between Beijing and Washington as it flexes its muscles in an era of geo-economics in the wake of hurried withdrawal of the United States from Southwest Asia.

As a confidence building measure Pakistan’s Ambassador Major General (retd) Noel Khokhar met Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzheppar in Islamabad, assuring her that Islamabad believes in peaceful resolution of disputes and respects Ukraine’s sovereignty. It was all the more relevant taking into account Russia’s recognition of Donetsk and Lugansk as independent republics under its tutelage and sending in around 100,000 fresh troops in the breakaway regions. This reflected Pakistan’s concern for regional transgression, and was a message to the US too not to look at Pakistan from a jaundiced prism of otherness. At the same time, the PM also made it clear that Pakistan had a Hobson’s choice as it allied with the US in the heydays of the Cold War and it was in need of aid and a security umbrella. Having harnessed congeniality with China under the BRI project, Pakistan now feels that Russia too has an important role to play as the region is in the flux.

By focusing on trade and joint ventures, PM Khan has wisely watered down the notion of moving towards Russia as an alternative to the reigning superpower. In an interview to Russia Today, as a curtain-raiser before his visit, the PM made it clear that trade relations with all the countries are indispensable to lift its populace out of poverty, and he inadvertently hinted at India too. By categorically mentioning strained ties with Delhi, and listing the reason behind it as India’s power arrogance, Pakistan has aptly pointed out the flip side of the story to India’s allied ally, as it itself inches towards it. The ball has been serviced into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s court.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2022.

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