In a press conference held in Islamabad on September 7, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif stated that, “a new paradigm would emerge keeping in view our relations and conditions after making necessary adjustments.” Earlier, a three-day envoys conference submitted recommendations suggesting changes in foreign policy which will be placed before the National Security Committee and then will be submitted to the parliament for debate and approval.
The Foreign Minister in his press conference made it clear that in the new foreign policy paradigm, there will be no compromise on securing Pakistan’s interests; that the country will not be made a scapegoat of the failures of big powers to deal with the menace of terrorism and all possible efforts will be made to deal with the ‘image problem’ of Pakistan as “we have to correct how the world perceives us. There is a wide gulf between how we look at our sacrifices in the fight against terrorism and the way world sees it.”
Following the press conference of Foreign Minister which coincided with the proclamation of 43 page BRICS (Brazil, Russian, India, China and South Africa) declaration after the holding of BRICS summit held in the Chinese city of Xiamen on September 5 one may ask: Will there be a paradigm shift in Pakistan’s Foreign Policy? What are the interests of Pakistan which Foreign Minister in his press conference vehemently called to protect in the revamped foreign policy? What are the gaps in Pakistan’s Foreign Policy and how the country can deal with its ‘image problem’?
Certainly Pakistan is at the crossroads or what is called as a devil and a deep blue sea situation. Paradigm shift in foreign policy will not just take place because of the holding of envoy’s conference and its recommendation but it requires a qualitative change in the approach and policy of those who are perceived to be at the helm of affairs. Decades of erosion in foreign policy formulation and execution cannot be undone in a short span of time and would require substantial political will and determination first to put the house in order and second to possess enough courage and wisdom in dealing with issues which seem to have deepened Pakistan’s predicament.
Paradigm shift in foreign policy depends on four major decisions which Pakistan’s civil-military leadership must take before it is too late. First, Pakistan will continue to face external pressures and threats unless the country is economically vibrant and politically stable. Particularly, unless the economy of Pakistan is on a strong footing with gigantic exports and adequate foreign exchange reserves, the country will continue to be dependent on external borrowings and aid. A policy of self-reliance by relying on the resources of the country instead of import driven economy, external borrowings and aid will certainly turn around the fate of Pakistan and enable it to gain a respectable position at the international arena.
Decades of erosion in foreign policy formulation and execution cannot be undone in a short span of time, and would require substantial political will and determination; first to put the house in order, and second, to possess enough courage and wisdom in dealing with issues which seem to have deepened Pakistan’s predicament
Political stability along with good governance, rule of law and proper justice system will certainly help eradicate extremism, intolerance, militancy, violence and terrorism. No country can proceed for a dynamic foreign policy unless its domestic fault lines like social and economic backwardness, unemployment, illiteracy and irresponsible behavior of political parties on critical issues are properly dealt with.
Second, the issues which are used to isolate Pakistan in the region and in the world must be prudently addressed. If there exists a perception dubbing Pakistan as a hub of extremism and terrorism and the existence of ‘safe havens’ of terrorist groups involved in the acts of terrorism outside its borders, efforts should he made to dispel such impressions and perceptions. Pakistan’s predicament is despite claiming that it has given enormous sacrifices to deal with the menace of terrorism and more than 80,000 people have been killed since 9/11 till today in various acts of violence and terrorism, in that case why such claims are not taken seriously at the international level? Why the state authorities have not taken effective measures to eliminate the networks of banned terrorist organisations and outfits which have been mentioned in BRICS declaration? Why the National Action Plan (NAP) has failed to deweaponise the society as the display and use of weapons by non-state groups continue to challenge the writ of the state? What is required is to change the culture of Pakistan which in the last four decades is heavily influenced by extremism, intolerance, radicalisation of youths, terrorism, corruption and nepotism. Third, paradigm shift in foreign policy also requires viable policy oriented think tanks and centers involved in giving their inputs to foreign office on issues which are critical to the country’s external relations. Unfortunately, lack of professionalism seem to have permeated in those institutions which are responsible for doing serious brainstorming and discourse on foreign policy matters and their limitations tend to create a huge gap in policy formulation and implementation. Politicisation of state institutions and non-professional handling of affairs ultimately jeopardise a country’s vital interests and makes it vulnerable to external pressures and interference.
Finally, paradigm shift in Pakistan’s foreign policy can only take place when the foreign policy is proactive and not reactive in nature. Unfortunately, a major dilemma which tends to question the credibility of foreign policy matters is the lack of proper planning, vision, consistency and perseverance on the part of those who are central to the decision-making process. Proactive foreign policy is only possible when the country’s leadership is mindful of seeking political and economic stability and rid the country from the menace of extremism, violence and terrorism. These are the issues which have an adverse impact at the international level thus forming a negative image of Pakistan.
Pakistan may have its geo-political and geo-strategic significance; is a nuclear weapon state and is ranked 6th in global population but such qualifications make no sense if the country is ranked 147 out of 188 countries in Human Development Index; has low per capita income; low quality of life of people; dwindling exports huge trade gap and low foreign exchange reserves. That is the moment of truth for Pakistan and the challenge of a paradigm shift in its foreign policy.
The writer is Meritorious Professor of International Relations at the University of Karachi. He can be reached at [email protected]
Published in Daily Times, September 15th 2017.