MINISTER of State for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar, on Tuesday dispelled the impression given by the Opposition that Pakistan was in isolation, saying the country’s foreign policy was moving in the right direction with all diplomatic missions “working complicatedly on all fronts”.
Speaking during a budget session in the National Assembly, Khar said Pakistan was playing a much bigger role on the international front than its size in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
It is, indeed, wrong to claim that the country was in isolation on the diplomatic front and instead credit goes to the incumbent leadership, especially Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his experienced junior colleague Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar for their hard work to sort out irritants that the previous government created in the realm of foreign affairs either deliberately or immature handling of complex relationships.
It is now an open secret that the former Prime Minister Imran Khan used the bogey of Letter-gate in a futile effort to save his government in the face of a vote of no-confidence and in the process damaged Pakistan’s otherwise crucial ties with the United States.
Similarly, he also used undiplomatic language against the European Union despite the fact that Pakistan has a comprehensive economic relationship with the bloc.
Ties with Pakistan’s traditional friends and supporters like Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Malaysia were also dented due to short-sighted approach.
As against this, the new Government has succeeded in restoring warmth in relations with our friends and partners, who are now more than willing to have meaningful economic and political engagement with Pakistan.
One also has to agree with the MoS that Pakistani diplomats safeguarded and promoted the cause of the country effectively and efficiently despite various challenges and constraints.
There should be no point scoring on foreign affairs and policies evolved after thorough debate in Parliament and input from different stakeholders should be pursued vigorously.
