REPORTER’S DIARY – Soon after Colonel Gaddafi was ousted from power in Libya, the defected diplomats at the Libyan Embassy in Islamabad on Thursday replaced the country’s official green flag with the rebels’ tri-coloured flag. Photographs of Colonel Gaddafi and other symbols of the Gaddafi government were also removed from the embassy.
Strangely, this event did not get much attention from the media. However, that does not belittle its significance for Pakistan, as it has landed the country in yet another diplomatic imbroglio. Much of the focus these days is on the volatile security situation in Karachi and on the diplomatic front, all that is being said and written, is about the grave row with the United States, and its different dimensions.
However, the country’s ties with Libya and especially its on-the-run leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, are very serious issues for Pakistan’s foreign policy managers. Pakistan’s decades-old friendly ties with the Gaddafi regime are an open secret, dating back to Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who was like a brother to the iron-man of Libya. This was well illustrated by the historic welcome accorded Gaddafi by the founding leader of the current ruling party, the PPP’s Mr Bhutto in Lahore when he came to attend the second summit meeting of OIC nations on February 22, 1974, along with King Faisal of Saudi Arabia and other Muslim leaders.
The naming of a major cricket stadium in Lahore as ‘Gaddafi Cricket Stadium’ is also a clear example of how close the two countries were in the days of Gaddafi. However, with the changing times, a difficult period has come over not only the Libyan leader but also his close ally, Pakistan, which now has to make the difficult choice between recognising the Transitional National Council (TNC), the rebels’ government, and continuing support for Gaddafi.
On the one hand, Pakistani authorities are worried about forsaking their friendship with Gaddafi, while on the other, pressure is being exerted by the large number of countries in the United Nations, along with NATO member states, who have been supportive of the Libyan rebels’ cause since the beginning of their struggle to depose the Libyan leader.
This is why Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Tehmina Janjua was clearly short of words on Thursday when she had to face a volley of queries from inquisitive journalists eager to find the country’s stance on the new Libyan government and also the official response to the flag hoisting at the Libyan embassy. Strangely, Janjua said the foreign office had not been informed about this vital development at the embassy, something journalists found difficult to digest, keeping in view the international diplomatic norms and values.
The Libyan ambassador told a TV channel that the decision to change the flag at the embassy in Islamabad was taken in consultation with all embassy staff members. The flag flying over the embassy was switched to the red, black and green banner from Libya’s independence in 1951. However, an official at the Pakistan foreign office said some supporters of Gaddafi had opposed the hoisting of the TNC’s flag. The situation was diffused by the intervention of diplomats from other Arab nations and the two opposing groups of Libyans were calmed down, diverting another serious problem for Pakistani authorities.
While Pakistan is yet to show a clear reaction to the developments in Libya, it is evident that it could take months before formal recognition will be accorded to the new Libyan rulers. Such a stance was to be expected with a pro-Gaddafi government ruling the roost in Pakistan at the moment, which, in its initial reaction to the eruption of unrest in Libya, criticised foreign intervention in the country and cautioned of dire consequences in case of any harm to Libya’s sovereignty and integrity as a result of external interference.
However, the question looms large: how long can the government keep prevaricating?