Pakistan govt has failed to deliver: UK diplomat

Long march showed democracy needs strengthening, says Adam Thomson.

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan needs radical change to face its challenges because the incumbent federal and provincial governments have failed to deliver, said a top British diplomat on Thursday.

British High Commissioner to Islamabad Adam Thomson made these remarks while talking to a group of journalists about political developments and particularly the long march on parliament led by a Canadian cleric just days ago.

It is unusual for a diplomat to publicly discuss Pakistan’s domestic political issues. But the British envoy justified the move by suggesting that the current events were worthy of inviting a response from his government. His statements are likely to be seen as not only an indictment of the government but also interference in internal matters.

Though Thomson voiced his country’s strong support for democracy in Pakistan, he said the existing federal and provincial governments could not live up to the expectations of the people.

“Pakistan needs a radical change. But it needs to come through the ballot and not by storming parliament,” Thomson emphasised, referring to the sit-in by tens of thousands of followers of Dr Tahirul Qadri on January 14.

“I know governments here are challenged by so many issues, but we hope they should deliver.”

Talking about Dr Qadri’s long march, he said Britain was deeply troubled by calls for unconstitutional steps to bring change in Pakistan.

However, the British envoy also said that a protest of such magnitude indicated that a lot needed to be done to strengthen democracy in the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 25^th, 2013.