Foreign policy must always be based on shared economic and national security objectives and never on bonds of common faith or language. Long term national interest dictate that inputs from all stakeholders be taken to evolve foreign policy concerning relations with countries, especially within region and neighborhood. While decision by Pakistan to stay aloof of Yemen conflict, especially when we were fighting our own belated war against terrorism which threatened our way of life, state sovereignty and lives of our citizens, was a wise consensus decision, it should have been left to diplomats to convey it to the governments in Middle East appropriately and skillfully.
It is unfortunate that few TV anchors and self assumed defence analysts thought it appropriate to embark on hostile and offensive analysis, instead of being discreet and avoid such sensitive matters. As for intervention by governments in Middle East and their funding of seminaries, ethnic and nationalist organisations, we ourselves are to be blamed. It is time that Pakistan’s policies and choice of public office holders, diplomats, and those at the helm in financial and other regulatory institutions be confined to those who hold single Pakistan passport, with no conflict of interests as is practice in India and every other country in region with the exception of Afghanistan.
Foreign policy is too complicated and sensitive a matter to be handled by generals or businessmen turned politicians, since it is an established fact that good professional soldiers can never be diplomats. In any case this problem of terrorism which we face today is because of our own myopic foreign and strategic policies, derived by men hostage to their desire to regain legitimacy to rule this country from foreign powers seeking their vested objectives, irrespective of fallout to Pakistan. For over five decades we had strategic partnership with our neighbours in Arab world, but other than personal favours or dole-outs, nobody had vision or commitment which Modi and Indian foreign office had, who took advantage of thaw in relations for less than six months and manoeuvered to sign MOU worth $75 billion for investment by UAE in India on development of infrastructure including defence production.
M T ALI
Lahore