Daily Times

Congratulation on completing one year of historically unprecedented public and international humiliation of the country to all those who voted, supported, manoeuvred and blatantly rigged the 2018 elections for Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaaf (PTI).

The process adopted by the ‘change-makers’ to bring ‘third party’ into the so-called political governance of Pakistan has shown the extent of ridiculous and revengeful decision-making. The economic and strategic impact the people of Pakistan have seen over the year once again endorsed that forming a government by hook or by crook with the lousy and clumsy sloganeers and show-off could not serve the national objectives and interests.

It’s for sure that the uniform cannot replace the civil supremacy and political wisdom aspired for the bilateral and multilateral negotiations and relationship. The first year of PTI regime reflects that a brainless inexperienced puppet democracy cannot play well in the international arena for the much needed public interest at home. A public-rally speaker can fuel up emotional eruption of his fans and party loyal but eventually it does not work in the strategic negotiations or to boost up the economy. Same is the case with Prime Minister Imran Khan who is still standing on his dharna-days container and blasting on his political opponents.

Blatantly he has taken U-turns on all the promises and tall claims he had made in his protest of 126 days against the previous government of Pakistan Muslim League-N. So, it means that all of his promises were merely political slogans to fool around the general public while his hypocritical stunts have shown his actual political calibre and intent. Playful person cannot assure the common interest.

Let’s have a review in reverse order of the major happenings in the last one year to understand actual global status and repute that Pakistan enjoys at the moment.

A couple of days back, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi visited China where he was received at airport by the Pakistan embassy staff only as reported in the media while a video clip shows that some hotel staff welcomed him on his arrival at their hotel only after they were paid some money. Having no formal diplomatic protocol revealed the level of ‘diplomatic friendship’ with China at the moment. Playing with CPEC contrary to the obligations has brought down the bilateral relations to the extent where China is apparently not willing to extend the diplomatic welcome to Pakistan’s foreign minister – quite unfortunate for Pakistan.

Over a year now, Chinese economic and cultural visibility has dropped down to the bottom. No public appearances are seen anymore. China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects are going dead slow or halted. What economic interests it would serve if the present regime has put the backbone economic stream on the back-burner. What we really want to reflect by showing least concerned on the threats to the lives of the Chinese workers and the challenges confronting the Chinese companies that have put a big chunk of direct investments on the development of infrastructure in Pakistan.

We need to understand that nothing is free and nothing is to be taken for granted. Friendships are built in decades and lost in days. We need to remember the actualities of bilateral relations that we have in the region and with the countries known for hegemonic interventions in the region. We need to get out of the fool’s paradise as soon as possible by rationalising the futuristic approaches while defining and assuring the national interest.

We need to understand that nothing is free and nothing is to be taken for granted. Friendships are built in decades and lost in days. We need to remember the actualities of bilateral relations that we have in the region and with the countries known for hegemonic interventions in the region

A frank meeting of (Prime Minister) Imran Khan with the most ever criticised US President Donald Trump at home and internationally is being considered as winning another cricket world cup. It is really great of our PM that he did not feel insulted and humiliated for not being a ‘state guest’ but a personal guest of the US president. It was indeed great honour and pleasure for Pakistan that it’s prime minister was photographed with the US president and his gorgeous wife.

Did Pakistan need anything thing else after the aforementioned photographs? Even then the US president assured of releasing the pending payments of Coalition Support Fund (CSF) and the maintenance of F-16 fighter jets and some more including the unlimited Free Trade Agreement. Indeed great generosity of the US president which actually takes years to materialise if taken seriously by the bureaucracy of the US state department that didn’t aware of the visit till the last week. Instead the spokesperson of the US president had to announce that Prime Minister Imran Khan would be welcomed in the White House.

Photo-ops show the “unmatchable historic success” of the PM Khan or Niazi whatever. But please don’t ask questions about the terms and conditions agreed by Pakistan on the US president’s promises surfaced in the joint press conference. It is in the best interest of the nation. People have no right to doubt about any ‘change’ in the Pakistan’s Kashmir policy even if India unilaterally takes over. No one has the right to raise concerns on the Afghan peace process or to question Pakistan’s role in the consistently happening instability in the region.

We the general public has no right to know about the unprecedented ‘donkey-trading’ in the first-ever no-trust move against the chairman Senate. Government shall not be asked as how the general public would survive when the economy is not moving and the inflation has surged to about 18 per cent. Don’t question about the PKR 7.5 trillion borrowings in the first year. Please don’t ask about the terms and conditions Pakistan has agreed on the 13th IMF loan. It seems illogical to ask why the current account deficit has crossed $19 billion and where the unprecedented devaluation of PKR would lead us to. Where the international development partners have flown to? Would the censorship on media bring about any positive change in the political uncertainty and economic decline that is fast happening in the country? What about rapid increase in crimes and suicides?

One year is quite a little time for so many humiliations for the public and the nation state called Pakistan. One may expect much more strategic, economic and social disasters in the fast emerging worst form of ‘new Pakistan’.

The writer is the Director Devcom-Pakistan, an Islamabad-based policy advocacy, strategic communication and outreach consulting