- And not punching above one’s weight
If the government thought the Qataris would not be rattled by its sudden decision to revisit LNG arrangements then it had just not done its homework. And the more it is turning from pillar to post the more it is becoming apparent that it had not done much preparatory work even going into the government. That much is proved by its position on the IMF bailout more than anything else. After sending billions worth of market capitalisation to money heaven just because of its indecision, it has once again put the spanner in the works by suggesting it might not need Fund money after all.
There was also (more than) the odd hiccup about CPEC. It seems, surprising as it is, that even senior government officials do not weigh their comments, especially about sensitive issues involving friendly regimes that have always come to our aid in the past. Most senior PTI ministers seem to talk, still, as if they are in the opposition. The government must realise that comments by senior ministers carry much official weight, especially when they are directed towards foreign governments. The sooner the government realises this, and stops making unqualified noise, the better for everybody involved.
Then there’s also the consistent habit of trying to punching above its weight. It turns out that Islamabad is mulling not only sorting out all Middle Eastern and Muslim world problems, it is also contemplating playing a role in ending the ugly Yemen war and bringing great rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia together. The government hasn’t yet explained, though, just how it will do all this while it is going from here to there with begging bowl in hand. Surely it is time now that it stops making amateurish moves and take domestic, as well as foreign, relationships more seriously than it has done so far.