There’s only one way forward, really
When Pakistan emerged on the map of the world in August 1947, its founder leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah vowed to make it a tolerant state, which protects the rights of minorities, remained independent in its policies and be on good terms with neighbouring countries as well as with the international community. However, the dire economic and security situation of the time required Pakistan to get urgent financial assistance from foreign powers and donors and Jinnah approached Washington DC for a $2bn aid package which was eventually refused by the Truman Administration. After his untimely death in September 1948, Pakistan had to face a situation in which it had to either choose the Western bloc or the Soviet bloc for military and economic assistance as it lacked indigenous resources to adequately run day-to-day affairs of the country.
Soviet leader Joseph Stalin was the first major world leader to approach Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan for joining the Soviet bloc by inviting him to Moscow but the Pakistani PM had already made up his mind to join the Western bloc. He used this invitation and the subsequent visit of Indian PM Jawaharlal Nehru to the US as an opportunity to pressurise Washington DC to keep up with its aid promises. This strategy produced far more fruitful results for the Pakistani establishment for soon afterwards the US officially made Pakistan a client state of the Western bloc in South Asia, which bolstered its influence in the region for countering communism.
Coming to the recent situation, the ‘gifted’ funds from Saudi Arabia in early 2014 actually came with strings attached
Over the next couple of decades, Pakistan received substantial amount of assistance from the US that boosted its military and economic prowess especially during the ‘Green Revolution’ and ‘Islamisation’ eras of Field Marshal Ayub Khan and General Zia-ul-Haq respectively. In addition, the Saudi monarchy and the Communist Chinese regime also got the opportunity to influence the domestic and external policies of Pakistan as they provided funds and assistance that were purely based on the doctrine of realpolitik. A prime example of this were the funds donated by the Saudis and the US through both official and unofficial channels for the Soviet-Afghan war that subsequently had detrimental effects on Pakistan’s domestic security situation within a span of two decades.
Although the policy of receiving assistance from foreign powers improved the economic and security situation in Pakistan, the political influence of these powers increased to such an extent that even the primary powerbroker, the Pakistan army, had to install regimes on the influence of external powers which we saw during the NRO deal of 2007 that is also mentioned in former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s autobiography. Furthermore, Pakistan also succumbed to the US demand of drone strikes in tribal areas that caused massive collateral damage as pointed out by Amnesty International and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism in autumn 2013. Field Marshal Ayub Khan’s objective for equality in the international political arena in the context of relations with the US gradually died out and was replaced with the notion of subservience.
Coming to the recent situation, the ‘gifted’ funds from Saudi Arabia in early 2014 actually came with strings attached, despite the government’s denial, which included policy shift on Syrian Civil War and cutting off stable relations with Shi’a dominated Iran by scrapping Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline deal, which was supposed to be beneficial for Pakistan in the long run. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif seems to have failed to understand that the short term economic assistance and political closeness to these regimes would not be helpful for Pakistan in the long run as we are actually on the verge of destroying our madrassah system as well as the relations with neighbouring countries, especially Iran.
The geo-economic and geo-political interests of the world are now based on globalisation and multi-polarity
The situation in the Middle East has become extremely complicated, especially after the rise of the Islamic State and the civil war ensuring in Yemen in which the Saudi monarchy is dragging Pakistan in for its own benefit. Pakistan should play its cards wisely as the Yemen situation is all about Saudi-Iranian rivalry, which also means direct warfare between Sunni and Shi’a powers. The Islamic world cannot bear such a situation, as it will create havoc in the already volatile region. Rather than fighting amongst each other, diplomacy and peace should be prioritised in which Pakistan can use its influence to stabilise the region without being pressurised to take sides.
Mentioning Iran was important for Afghanistan’s inclination towards Pakistan recently was only possible through strong diplomatic efforts made by COAS General Raheel Sharif and his military team. Being an immediate neighbour, Iran is as important as Afghanistan since in the long run it can actually help strengthen our foothold against India’s hegemonic designs, including the Chabahar seaport to counter Gwadar. Furthermore, the Obama administration’s policy shift towards Iran sheds hope for Pakistan to openly trade with Iran that can prove fruitful in the future.
All this leads to the conclusion that an independent security and foreign policy is the only way forward to achieve peace in the region and boost trade that can decrease Pakistan’s dependence on foreign aid and influence. The geo-economic and geo-political interests of the world are now based on globalisation and multi-polarity and Pakistan’s lawmakers and policymakers need to fully understand this in order to integrate into this newly emerging global society. This can only be done if Pakistan is truly a sovereign regime that can use its influence at the right place and at the right time.