The country is perhaps facing its worst crisis since the 1971 debacle, but our elected Prime Minister thought it proper to proceed on a three-day extensive tour to France. The shameful episode of Osama and his family being found in Abbottabad, within a kilometre of Kakul Academy is a very serious security and intelligence debacle that has shocked the people of this country and become a major embarrassment for Pakistan in the world.
The confidence of the nation in our defence establishment has suffered a setback and it is at such times that the political leadership is expected to rise up to the occasion and deliver.
Unfortunately our PM thought it wise to be out of Pakistan for more than three days, in spite of this serious crisis. Even if we are to assume that this visit was very important, why could it not be cut short? Recently the Prime Minister of UnitedKingdom visited Pakistan and the visit lasted for less than 24 hours.
If foreign visits were a yardstick for economic development, or a measure of a country’s diplomatic influence, we would top this, given the frequency of foreign trips undertaken by both our President and Prime Minister. Just compare the number of foreign trips by our two VVIPs to those conducted by leaders of India, Bangladesh, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Singapore or even Afghanistan and it would illustrate that such visits play no part in the development of a country or in the success of its foreign policy.
These frequent foreign junkets are just a waste of foreign exchange for a country that is already facing an economic crisis. At times of crisis, the PM or the President should be present within a country and perform their constitutional role instead of running away whenever a crisis occurs.
MALIK TARIQ ALI
Lahore
