Daily Times

A country’s foreign policy is a set of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to protect its national interests and achieve their goals in the international relations environment. Approaches are used strategically to interact with other countries. In recent times, due to the deepening of globalisation and transnational level activities, states also have to interact with non-state actors.

The aforementioned interaction is evaluated and monitored in order to maximise the benefits of multilateral international cooperation. Since national interests are paramount, foreign policies are designed by the government through high-level decision-making processes. The realisation of national interests may result from peaceful co-operation with other nations.

In general, the creation of a foreign policy is the responsibility of the head of government and the minister of foreign affairs. In some countries the legislator also has considerable control. Just as everyone’s eyes are on Prime Minister Imran Khan to guide Pakistan out of its foreign affairs conundrum.

Judging by his opening speech on August 19, Pakistan’s newly elected Prime Minister, Imran Khan, should focus on his electoral promises, although international isolation and foreign policy issues in the country worry many.

Pakistan’s foreign policy is often visualised through the prism of relations with its eastern neighbour Afghanistan and the love-hate relationship with the United States and the endless rivalry and perpetual tension with India. China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Middle East although important do not pressurise Pakistan as the above mentioned countries do.

According to Khan’s conciliatory statements, at the inauguration ceremony on August 18, it was generally believed that the new Prime Minister would establish clear lines on foreign policy with respect to Afghanistan, India and the United States.

However, to the dismay of many analysts and experts, Khan’s 70 minute television speech conveyed a different message: either he needs more time to understand and define his preferences for foreign policy, or he does not want to discuss them publicly.

Imran Khan has taken over the government at a time when Pakistan faces some major challenges on the foreign policy front. The country’s relations with the United States are at an all-time low, while India, its western neighbour, has doubled its efforts to further isolate Pakistan internationally.

Pakistan’s foreign policy is often visualised through the prism of relations with its eastern neighbour Afghanistan, a love-hate relationship with the United States and the endless rivalry and perpetual tension with India

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global financial watchdog, has put Pakistan on the grey list at a time when the country needs immediate funds and the United States froze aid to Pakistan due to the inability of the country to take serious measures to combat terrorism and extremism.

And, above all, Pakistan’s relations with neighbouring Afghanistan have returned to the guilt and blame game, after the failed attempt by the Taliban to besiege the city of Ghazni, 120 kilometres south of Kabul.

A big difference between Imran Khan as Prime Minister and his predecessor is Khan’s independence and strong will. Many of the political leaders who are now part of Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) mocked him when his party did not get a seat in the Parliament in, 1997 elections. In, 2002 Khan managed to win himself a seat in the lower house of the Parliament. His party boycotted the 2008 elections to make a strong comeback by winning third place in the Parliament in the May, 2013 elections.

As a sportsman, Khan managed Pakistan’s victory at the World Cricket Championship in 1992. He is also famous for his social work; The Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital in Lahore, which he established with donations from Pakistanis inside and outside the country, is the first of its kind in Pakistan.

With a track record of success thanks to his luck, strong will, independent mind and a direct approach, there seems to be no reason why Imran Khan cannot prove his value in foreign policy by finding a way to ensure peace and stability in the region.

Therefore, Khan’s only limit will be his independence and decision making power. Although Khan did not explain his government’s foreign policy in his inaugural address to the nation, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s press conference shortly after taking office in Islamabad on 20 August, was a ray of hope.

In addition to conveying a message of peace to Afghan and Indian governments, Qureshi has also attempted to dispel the general perception that the security establishment is truly responsible for Pakistan’s foreign policy.

There is no reason not to believe the words of Qureshi. But past experiences of the first government of the late Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan after Zia-ul-Haq, and through the previous Nawaz Sharif government, suggest caution. No other Prime Minister had asserted civilian control over key decisions on the foreign policy front. Only time will show Imran Khan’s sphere of influence, strength and independence.

Over the next hundred days, it will be clear to what extent Imran Khan is able to assert himself. In addition to the US Secretary of State. The Chinese, Iranian and Japanese foreign ministers will visit Islamabad next month. This is an indication of the emergence of a multi-polar world with new opportunities and challenges for Pakistan. A revolutionary improvement in relations with neighbours would reduce hostility in the region, which benefits the world on a whole. Keeping the animosity alive would be a setback for Pakistan and would prove that Imran Khan is part of the status quo.

The writer is a Quetta based columnist and a Independent researcher. He can be Reached at Asadhussainma@yahoo.com

Published in Daily Times, September 5^th 2018.