Amongst the myriad of challenges that Pakistan faces; a lack of coherent national and foreign policies are some of the most imperative challenges that we face. Pakistan’s foreign policy is basically a reflection of its national one. After the Afghan war- our foreign policy has remained fragile. Undoubtedly, the earlier Pakistani leaders tilted towards to United Sates- a trend that is prevalent till today. There even exists a popular theory that the foreign policy of Pakistan has never been formulated in the Parliament, rather invisible hands run it. This perhaps is justified as the decision to join both the Afghan war and the US invasion of Afghanistan were taken by military rulers. As of 2018, Pakistan is encountering foreign pressure on several fronts that need immediate attention from the new government.
Moreover a coherent national policy is the need of the time. Previously, we have seen newly elected governments throwing out projects initiated by the previous Parliament. The Islamabad Motorway, Diamer-Bhasha Dam, Kalabagh Dam, Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline are examples of great projects; victimized by point scoring. Meanwhile, there is the unheeded problem of national unity in the country that has become a primary source of provincialism. The grievances of smaller provinces against larger populated province are a big threat to the national unity. However, there are justified reasons behind the issue. The non-mean distribution of NFC Award, undue share of resources given to some provinces, lower budget allocations to smaller provinces; are the uphill national issues that require immediate attention. Moreover, political stability and bringing politicians on the same pages of policy will be an uphill task for the government. Certainlya more inclusive national policy will inspire a nuanced approach to foreign affairs as well, as they are inextricably linked. When a country’s internal issues are resolved, it brings harmony and good governance at home. Moreover, when civil-military relations will become trustworthy it will pave the way for foreign policies to be shaped in the Parliament. Given the global and regional scene in 2018; it will be a challenge for us to manage relations with the United States, China, Afghanistan and India. The first two are the major sources of economic aide for Pakistan. While the latter two have always been sources of border angst and terror tensions in Pakistan. Therefore, maintaining friendly relations with this tetra would need complex considerations.
There exists a popular theory that the foreign policy of Pakistan has never been formulated in the Parliament, rather invisible hands run it. his is justified as the decision to join both theAfghan war and the US invasion of Afghanistan were taken by military rulers
Besides this, reinventing the status of Pakistan on the global stage will be another challenge for the government. Recently, Pakistan has faced severe hindrances pertaining to its diplomacy at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting where Pakistan could not convince the FATF to remove it from the grey list. The global watchdogs did not agree that Pakistan should be removed from the list. Putting Pakistan on FATF will injure Pakistan in two ways. One, it will hamper the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) as it will discourage investments in a country that has been accused of financing terrorist outfits.
Most multi-national investors always tend to take rational decisions and will avoid the uncertainty of the Pakistani markets. Hence our economy will suffer unprecedented losses. Moreover, Pak-US bilateral ties will fall prey to even more complexities. These strained relations will undoubtedly be quite detrimental to the already fragile glory of the country.
In addition to it, the tumultuous regional conditions are another hassle the PTI government will have to deal with. In this regard bringing India to the negotiation tables will be a challenge. Furthermore India’s hegemonic attitude in South Asia can provoke even more tension, bitterness and insecurity for the entire region. Engaging in talks which lead to conclusive results will not be a piece of cake for Pakistan or India. The Kashmir issue, line of control saga, and status of Afghanistan will be crucial challenges that will need to be resolved before any future cooperation can take place.
However, PTI can take advantage of the changing world order to overcome the above mentioned issues. In this regard, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization can be used as an effective platform. For Pakistan, it will be a great opportunity to discuss several issues with India especially Kashmir to bilaterally resolve the age old bone of contention, and enhance security cooperation between the states. Moreover, avoiding begging bowl in the international community, especially in front of the IMF and other loaning institutions needs to be a priority for the new government. Moreover incurring benefits from the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) should be the ultimate priority of the government to make Pakistan’s economy self-reliance.
The PTI-led government has to adopt national and foreign policies taking the parliament in confidence for the sake of a prosperous and progressive Pakistan.
The writer is member of staff
Published in Daily Times, August 25th 2018.