Daily Times

“The art of conducting the foreign affairs of a country lies in finding out what is most advantageous to the country”. Jawaharlal Nehru reiterated in a speech in 1947, arguing that basis of India’s foreign policy would be of national interest and not international amity per se.

National Interest supersedes partisan politics and personal avarice, however, foreign policy despite a clarion call from all the quarters of interest, has eroded in a slapstick manner reducing national interests to mere drollery.

The embattled government of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) preparing to announce its last budget before the dissolution of the assemblies entered into yet another morass with a state institution. The appointment of a professional banker and business partner of the Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, as Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, has been a shocking revelation.

In what appears to be a sign of growing nepotism, the Prime Minister has approved handing over ambassadorial responsibilities to Ali Jahangir Siddiqui- a non-career diplomat. The norms of good governance enshrined and embedded in articles 2A, 25 and 27 and subsequent policy principles framed in articles 29 and 38 of the constitution have been blatantly violated. The postings of non-career diplomats, specifically ones without any professional training in diplomacy, are a cause of crescendo consternation in Foreign Office.

The lack of wisdom and explicit show of egregious statesmanship by the prime minister is anathema. Kissinger pointed out that “A society is unfortunate if its leaders can occasionally rise to the level of wisdom”, yet wisdom has been aloof to our power centres.

Pakistan and United States have been witnessing the lowest ebb of their relationship ever since 2011, followed by suspension of US aid and Hardline Afghan policy by the Whitehouse. The red lines have been already blurred by the incessant commotion ever since the Oval Office has been occupied by the Trump administration.

In these testing times when Pakistan and US are squabbling over the test of their historic relationship; expert diplomat is needed in Washington to efficiently represent the interest of Pakistan. Diplomatic isolation and disapproval have already plagued Pakistan from the onset of an absence of a permanent foreign minister throughout the four years of Sharif government.

Historically, civilian supremacy in the area of foreign policy formulation has been blamed to be overridden by the military’s overbearing role and facilitated whenever a vacuum of strategic vision has been lamented. The problem in Pakistan’s foreign policymaking is, therefore, rooted in the strategic bankruptcy of our political centres which has been invariably dominated by the same hackneyed class of elitist oligarchs-pursuing self-selective and self-serving policies. Democracy is threatened, not by the act of external aggression but by the self-inflicting ruse with the foundations of the very system. The nation has long struggled, battling despotic rulers against all the odds to achieve civilian supremacy not to be backstabbed by the asinine political elite, hence creating a catch 22 scenario.

Ali Jahangir Siddiqui’s appointment as an ambassador will be confirmed after his candidature is viewed and affirmed by Washington; however, it faces an uphill task at home. Islamabad High Court is already hearing the case on the petition against the appointment of a former businessman. The incumbent businessman was first appointed as a special assistant to the prime minister with the status of minister for state, before being appointed as an ambassador to the US — delineated as illegal, non-transparent and in violation of the Constitution and judgments of the superior courts.

If the civilian governments continue to deprive national policy of its context and foresight, the perils of such actions will be inimical for our democratic institutions

“The manner of appointment was whimsical, non-transparent, and thoughtless and passed in the style of ‘medieval governance driven by sublime non-sense at public expense”. The Ambassador-designate is also facing charges of financial turpitude no less than an albatross on the government already facing graft cases. The corruption watchdog -NAB has already urged the ministry of interior to place the names of Ali Siddiqui and his accomplices accused of corruption charges. NAB has initiated an inquiry to probe corruption case for four billion rupees, the ambassador elect has also been allegedly named in 19 inquiries pertaining to corruption, money laundering and violation of State Bank of Pakistan’s rules; foreign investment, inside trading in Stock Exchange, and selling his company’s share to government officials.

The preceding ambassador Aizaz Chaudhry, one of the seasoned diplomats of Pakistan, had completed his tenure. He was instrumental in defusing the recent spike in the tensions between the US and Pakistan; suggesting that “we should not be on the collision course”. Unlike in the recent past when maverick politicians singlehandedly created havoc on the country’s policy fronts. The Nation was embarrassed by the ill-thought-out tweet by the current Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif a year ago in the capacity of Defence Minster; creating a Stanley Kubrick-esque scenario a reality, reacting to fake news-threatening to use nuclear weapons. The ambassador select has already been called persona non grata, being foisted upon the foreign office and awarded the most coveted diplomatic position-the decision has dazzled the concerned quarters.

It has always been a rewarding policy to gauge epistemic communities in the policy formulation which has delivered tremendous results for the governments to pursue development and their national interests; however, eulogizing nepotism and callousness has its own concomitant distortions. If the civilian governments continue to deprive national policy of its context and foresight, the perils of such actions will be inimical for our democratic institutions amid the challenges along diverging interests.

The writer is freelance columnist/journalist. He is philosophically a neo-liberal and Aristotelian; Optimistic by choice and has pragmatic approach towards life. He holds BSc honors degree in Economics & Political science. He can be reached at farazsaeed1@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, May 17^th 2018.