- Another diplomatic faux pas
By first confirming to attend the Kuala Lumpur Summit in Malaysia, then deciding to send Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in his stead and eventually bowing out of the affair altogether, Prime Minister Imran Khan has yet again provided an excellent example of bad ineffective and embarrassing diplomacy. That Saudi Arabia and the UAE would not be happy with Pakistan’s attendance at the Summit, to which they aren’t invited, which is being dubbed a probable replacement to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference is not new information, and should have been anticipated and prepared for. The rationale being peddled for skipping the moot is to ‘avert division in Ummah’ and that there is not enough time now to smooth things out between the opposing sides. This is purely a result of Mr Khan jumping at any opportunity to adopt the role of a mediator and somehow resolve an international diplomatic crisis without giving it much thought or planning; and it is even more troubling when it is revealed that no such request had been made by either of the other countries involved in the crisis in the first place.
Then there is the involvement of financial assistance being provided to Pakistan by ‘friendly’ foreign allies that buys them considerable leverage to influence our foreign policy. But if Saudi Arabia is showering us with billions of dollars in loans then Pakistan too has dedicated a section of the Army to support the Saudis on their turf in their fight against terrorism. This is no small commitment considering our own security requirements at home. Why was Mr Khan or his team unable to take advantage of this position in their dialogue with their Saudi counterparts where we instead practically left everything on the table? Such incidents of bad diplomacy expose our weaknesses to other countries as well, especially those who have already or are planning on supporting our economy through generous loans. Some serious introspection is required on the foreign policy front starting with the Prime Minister who should listen to and act on the advice and input of his more experienced advisors.
