LAHORE: America has lost a great diplomat after the sad demise of Richard Holbrooke, the US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, former foreign minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said on Tuesday.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Kasuri said that even though Holbrooke became the special representative after his tenure as foreign minister ended, he (Kasuri) always found the special envoy full with vision to address the varied conflicting issues.
Kasuri also commended Holbrooke’ professional attitude and work ethics. The former ambassador said that once when he met Holbrooke in a hotel, he noticed the special envoy’s deep understanding of regional politics. He said that Holbrooke harnessed all his energy to fathom out the local perspective of the region. Kasuri also termed Holbrooke an ‘intelligent watcher’. He said that Holbrooke was very proactive and knew how to implement the policies of his administration.
Kasuri also criticised US President Barack Obama’s Af-Pak policy and said there were some glaring flaws in it from day one.
He said Obama was under pressure from his supporters to deliver, as he was elected with high expectations. Kasuri said that first, the US left Pakistan insecure after her cold war with the Soviets and now the US and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) had announced their withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014, which would pave the way for Taliban to plan out their future strategy.
He concluded by saying that Holbrooke was a great diplomat and he knew how to promote his agenda in the region.
