Not where they should be
Different politicians have different priorities. Nawaz Sharif chose to spend three days in Norway. Here he had little to do other than attending an educational conference, witnessing an MoU between a Pakistani and a Norwegian firm, and meeting the country’s Prime Minister and Crown Prince. Sharif reserved only a day and a half for the important SCO and BRICS moots. Narendra Modi on the other hand had rushed to Ufa a day earlier after completing his Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan visits. The day Sharif was playing cricket with ladies in Oslo, Modi was meeting leaders from half a dozen countries, issuing statements, tweeting and stealing the limelight. Before Sharif reached Ufa Modi had already met Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. He was also scheduled to meet leaders of Brazil and South Africa.
No courtesy meetings these. During their talks Modi and Rouhani were accompanied by high level delegations indicating important issues were under serious discussion. Iran is Pakistan’s neighbour, once a close friend and ally which had helped Pakistan militarily and made investments in Balochistan. India is now being wooed by both Iran and Saudi Arabia. Performing balancing acts is something Pakistan’s leaders have shown themselves incapable of. During Modi’s 90-minute meeting with President Putin, the two leaders reviewed their bilateral relations and discussed energy sector cooperation. Modi also held talks with XI for the fifth time in a year. It was a 95-minute meeting. Among other matters, the Indian Prime Minister took up the issue of China putting on “technical hold” India’s move to isolate Pakistan at the UNSC over the release of Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi. He also took up the issue of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor which the Indian government is strongly opposed to.
It is time Nawaz Sharif realised that the man he is to compete with is not just a Hindu nationalist with a condemnable human rights record but also an imaginative, energetic and alert politician. What is more, Modi has his priorities right.