Though she has still miles to cover in her political career, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar must be a happy woman after her “meeting” with US President Barack Obama. Although it was an understandably a walk-in chance encounter which almost all delegates had with the US president during the UN General Assembly session, the family photograph – Mr and Mrs Obama with the foreign minister and her spouse – would surely decorate the drawing room of Hina.
However, it is still to be gauged what political or diplomatic significance does this “meeting” would have in removing the trust deficit between the two countries at a time when their relations are at the lowest ebb? The spin given to the “meeting” in a front page caption of the photograph in a section of media was to prove wrong the impression that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had cancelled his visit to the US because Obama had not agreed to a one-on-one meeting. If the world’s top man smilingly “meets” our foreign minister despite the strained relationship, he would surely meet Gilani.
The journalistic acumen seems to have been missing while giving a spin to the chance encounter in the caption of the photograph. The New York datelined caption reads, “Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and spouse meet President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama”, effectively putting an end to the gossip that Prime Minister Gilani did not go to UNGA because Pakistan was rebuffed by the US, and Obama said he would not meet Gilani.
There is absolutely no doubt that in case President Obama had agreed to meet Prime Minister Gilani, the latter would certainly not cancel his US visit and would have used this trip to mend fences with Washington despite devastating floods, as the US visit was of much more significance and importance at a time when the Americans are threatening to unilaterally attack terrorists allegedly hiding in the Tribal Areas.
The perception created by the front page lead photograph with a doctored caption is far from reality.