According to US sources benignly denied by Islamabad, the logistic support for drone attacks is provided by ground support — a euphemism for informants in place near the target
The empathic denial by Saudi envoy in Pakistan, Marwan bin Radwan, that Pakistan is mediating between Saudi Arabia and Qatar over their diplomatic row is a pointed snub directed at our policy makers. We have been claiming otherwise, ad nauseam.
The prime minister, with the army chief in tow, recently dashed to Riyadh ostensibly on a mediation mission. But perhaps the real agenda related to defence matters, including some badly needed equipment for our armed forces.
This is only one example of the wide chasm between our real and declared policies. Take the case of US drones. Since the Musharraf days, when drones used to fly from Shamsi air base in Pakistan, the government has been protesting against such attacks as againstPakistani sovereignty, assiduously claiming that they are being conducted without its approval.
After a recent drone attack that killed a prominent militant on Pakistani soil Washington has made it plain that if Islamabad does not deliver the terrorists seeking refuge in its badlands it would finish the job by incremental drone attacks. They had come down to a trickle in recent years.
According to US sources benignly denied by Islamabad, the logistic support for drone attacks is provided by ground support — a euphemism for informants in place near the target.
The foreign office underscoring, ‘the need for continued cooperation between the US and Pakistan for peace and security in the region’ is seen more in the realm of platitudes rather than stating ground realities
An Iranian drone shot down by the Pakistan Air Force the other day in Baluchistan epitomises further deterioration of Islamabad’s already frayed relations with Tehran. The Indian-Iranian nexus on Chabahar port as an alternative to Gwadar is being touted as the reason behind Pakistan-Iran relations are on the skids for quite some time now.
On the other hand the Trump administration is becoming increasingly impatient with Pakistan. There is a widespread perception, within the US administration and the Congress, that militants especially from the Haqqani network are holed up in sanctuaries within Pakistan. They are using these as bases to operate within Afghanistan.
The charge that the Pakistani establishment is using such proscribed terrorist groups as its cat paw is most damaging. As the security situation in Afghanistan deteriorates the cacophony of such allegations is becoming even louder.
China has offered to mediate between Kabul and Islamabad. Reportedly, its foreign minister will soon visit both the capitals.
Beijing is part of the quadrilateral process for a smooth political transition in Afghanistan. Its current mission will, however, be confined to determine the veracity of lists being provided by both Afghanistan and Pakistan of the militants having shelter in their respective territories. Kabul apparently has a list of 85 while Islamabad claims that there are at least 65 Afghan militants under the leadership of Mullah Fazlullah creating mayhem in Pakistan.
Notwithstanding these frantic diplomatic efforts, Afghanistan is a lost cause. President Ashraf Ghani is deeply unpopular and isolated not only amongst the Northern Alliance but also with his own pushtoon brothers. Former president Hamid Karzai (no angel himself) is also his sworn enemy.
In the meanwhile ground realities are fast changing to the detriment of NATO forces still deployed in Afghanistan. The Taliban, since their spring offensive, are on the upsurge claiming more and more territory.
All this does not augur well for Pakistan. It is no longer able to or willing to play the honest broker to bring peace in its backyard. The Afghans, Indians and to some extent the Trump administration view Islamabad as part of the problem rather than the solution.
In previous times Saudi Arabia played a key role in delivering Washington to Islamabad. Probably no longer so. King Salman’s young and hawkish son Mohammad bin Salman is now officially the crown prince and heir apparent.
The ambitious prince with his own ideas and sense of grandeur is now calling the shots. He has become very close to President Trump who is virtually mentoring him.
Sharif being ignored at the recent Riyadh Islamic summit presided over by Trump is an indication of things to come. That the former army chief General (r) Raheel Sharif is heading the so-called Islamic military alliance in his personal capacity is another white lie.
According to Sartaj Aziz, the advisor on foreign affairs, Pakistan remains neutral in the Qatar crisis. The Saudis have given an ultimatum to Doha to comply with its demands including closing down of Al Jazeera TV network if it wants to return to thefold. In this situation Islamabad will be hard pressed to maintain its neutrality.
Recently, Pakistan boasted that Russian President Putin, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) Summit, has promised to mediate between New Delhi and Islamabad on Kashmir. It however turned out to be another misstatement of facts, denied both by Moscow and New Delhi.
It is well known that New Delhi since the Shimla accord has always insisted that talks on Kashmir can only be held on a bilateral basis. According to this novel interpretation of the peace deal signed between Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Indira Gandhi at Shimla in 1972, shunning all mediation offers, it has consistently refused to discuss the dispute even at multilateral forums. Moscow, still a quasi-ally, will simply not arm-twist New Delhi to change this policy.
Unfortunately our foreign policy, based on a flawed and obsolete security paradigm, is now failing us. The chickens have finally come to roost.
It is considered fair game to tell half-truths or simple lies to the people of Pakistan as long as you can get away with it. The poor foreign office apparatchiks have little option but to engage in chicanery.
Resultantly Pakistan is fairly isolated in the world, especially in the region. Our relations with India,Afghanistan and Iran are frayed. Perhaps with the exception of China we cannot name a country that would support us lock, stock and barrel.
The victim card, being played since a long time, no longer washes even with our so-called allies. The perpetual mantra, ‘how can we back terrorists, we are the biggest victim of terrorism’ no longer cuts much ice.
The foreign office underscoring, ‘the need for continued cooperation between the US and Pakistan for peace and security in the region’ is seen more in the realm of platitudes rather than stating ground realities.
Our Permanent Representative at the UN, Dr Maleeha Lodhi, has claimed that terrorist “safe havens” were inside, not outside, Afghanistan. She thinks Pakistan should expect gratitude rather than hostility for hosting over two million Afghan refugees.
Rather than imparting oft-repeated mantras perhaps we should do some out-of-the-box thinking about our foreign and security policies. The government, beleaguered by the Panamagate inquisition, is considerably weakened to take any meaningful initiative on this count.
But perhaps this is the need of the hour. The victim card and that we are a nuclear power with an array of missiles are simply not enough to sustain a state going around the world with a begging bowl.
