It is customary for the leadership of countries to exchange greetings on important occasions like national days, Eid and Christmas but in view of the prevailing tense regional situation, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has done well by availing the opportunity to sensitize the world leaders about dangers to the peace and security of the region and emphasizing the need for forging bilateral economic collaboration.
This was evident from the telephonic talk that the Prime Minister held with Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tarik and other world leaders on the auspicious occasion of Eid ul Adha.
Personal rapport and closer/frequent interaction among the leadership play an important role in solidifying bilateral relations and understanding each other’s point of view and sensitivities.
It is important to note that the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently visited some of the important capitals where he held substantive discussions with leaders of the host countries on issues of peace and security as well as ways and means to promote economic partnership, which has become a priority for almost every country of the globe in the emerging international scenario.
What the PM discussed with different leaders on the occasion of Eid ul Adha was necessarily in continuation of his interaction with heads of state and governments of various countries in the aftermath of the Pahalgam incident, which was used by India as an excuse to build a case for aggression against Pakistan but New Delhi miserably failed to garner support for its nefarious designs as its approach negated the spirit of the international law and inter-state relations.
As against this Pakistan had a principled-based approach to the issue and demonstrated its preference for resolution of the conflict through discussions and dialogue.
It was because of the timely diplomacy by the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister (also his brilliant team of diplomats) and Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir that Pakistan’s stand found favour with the international community, especially its proposal for a neutral global inquiry into the Pahalgam attack.
Pakistan also did not initiate any measure to raise tension in the region and only responded to a series of actions by India and gave a tit-for-tat response when India opted for a military option.
After the short war, the Prime Minister visited some friendly countries to offer thanks for their steadfast support against an unprovoked aggression and brief them about anti-peace moves and threats being hurled by the Indian Prime Minister after facing a humiliating defeat at the hands of Pakistan defence forces.
People of Pakistan are thankful to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his principled-based courageous position on the conflict and its reiteration during telephonic talk with Prime Minister Shehbaz on the occasion of Eid.
As underlined by the PM, this gesture has won the hearts of the people of Pakistan and added another glorious chapter to the history of the Pakistan-Turkiye brotherhood.
President Erdogan reaffirmed Turkiye’s resolute support to Pakistan on all important issues and Shehbaz reiterated Islamabad’s support for core issues of interest to Ankara.
During a telephonic call with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the PM briefed him on Pakistan’s efforts to maintain peace and security in the region and hoped that a number of important agreements and MoUs would be signed between the two sides during the forthcoming visit of the Kazakh leader.
The PM expressed gratitude to Sultan Haitham bin Tarik for Oman’s position in the recent Pakistan-India crisis and appreciated its support for de-escalation and dialogue.
In a related development, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq thanked Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for Kingdom’s steadfast support on every difficult occasion including the recent standoff with India.
Hopefully, these interactions, together with the successful visit of the high level delegation to various capitals, will help create a better understanding of the regional situation and counter baseless Indian propaganda against Pakistan.
The tempo should be maintained in view of continued belligerent posture by India.
