Pakistan News And Discussion-9

[Naresh]

[center]<b><span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Isolated in the region</span></b> <!--emo&:flush--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /><!--endemo--> [/center]

PAKISTAN’s relations with various countries of the world are an interesting, though disturbing, phenomenon. We cultivate friendship with far off lands in South America, Africa and elsewhere and exchange visits at the highest level, but the region we live in bristles with those who could be called anything but friends (antagonists, if not enemies), who are prone to suspect any move we make to get closer to them with the best of intentions in the world. The fast friends we had in the past have been showing signs of weariness, despite their public declarations. We failed to build on the excellent legacy of Shah-era Pak-Iran ties and convince the revolutionary leadership that followed his ouster that Islamabad’s over-riding interest in relations with Tehran was the mutual good of the Iranian and Pakistani people. With India eternally hostile and Afghanistan never friendly, developing ties of trust and deep understanding with Iran would have been our priority. But the military dictator who ruled the country at the time of the Iranian revolution and who had taken it upon himself to guide foreign policy could not figure out how to persuade Imam Khomeini and his team to treat us as genuine friends. There was a basic dissonance between the two countries’ policies. The Taliban era found us ranged on opposite fighting fronts. Things may have marginally improved since. The opportunity that the proposed gas pipeline provides to rebuild the equation is being frittered away. One should therefore not expect much to come out of the current visit of Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri to Iran. We have yet to reciprocate the presidential visit though Tehran has dropped hints about the lapse.

Even abandoning our principled stand on Kashmir, an issue of vital concern to Pakistan, has not brought India round to settle it, though it has bedevilled bilateral relations all these years. The US, which calls Pakistan a key ally in its War on Terror, hands out to our inveterate enemy the most sophisticated nuclear technology but unceremoniously turns down our request to that effect. Afghanistan is becoming ever angrier, accusing Pakistan of sending ‘terrorists’ across to reinforce the Taliban resistance. <b><span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Whatever the claims, Pak-China ties are only a pale image of the past.</span></b>

The upsetting scenario, made worse by the internal political disunity, makes one wonder about the direction towards which the country is heading. The leadership, so vocal about economic progress, needs to seriously reflect on our increasing isolation in the region and do something about it.

Cheers <!--emo&:beer--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' /><!--endemo-->