Diplomatic branding

Pakistan’s strategic indispensability and its diplomatic prowess is acknowledged. The overtures from Russia and the US that they are eager to help Islamabad in coping with its economic crunch, and stand fast with it in its dire straits, is a welcome development. This is primarily a success story as far as Pakistan’s diplomatic branding is concerned, as it has painstakingly resisted becoming part of camp politics in the region, and had pushed the envelope of cooperation even-handedly with all the major powers, including China, the US, Russia and the EU. The notes of consolation and convenience from the Kremlin and the State Department will go a long way in chartering the future course of action not only on the bilateral front, but also in the regional context.

President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy on energy, Nikolay Shulginov, at the sidelines of the 8^th Round of Pakistan-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission meeting in Islamabad, assured that his country looks ahead for increasing trade and investment. This open-ended declaration from Moscow is a departure from its earlier puzzled stance as it kept waiting in the wings to state it in public apparently owing to geopolitical inswings. Luckily for Pakistan it solves the puzzle of energy scarcity to a great extent as it confronts foreign exchange crunch.

A likewise reiteration from the US that it understands Pakistan’s vulnerability in these hard times is no less than a solace. This is more important as the resignation of Washington from southwest Asia after the collapse of Ghani government in Kabul had created an impression that Pakistan and the US have lost the locus standi. State Department spokesperson Ned Price’s submission that the US will encourage international lenders, including the IMF, to dole out cash tranches is a great beginning.

Pakistan’s new pivot of no-camp bloc and geo-economics is attracting dividends. Major powers are better positioned now to understand Islamabad’s tangibles as a great working partner and a strategic asset, rather than a rubber-stamp ally. This is where Pakistan’s survival and strategic muscle-flexing rests.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 21^st, 2023.

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