Daily Times

Despite Indian claims of having isolated Pakistan, Islamabad continues to receive regular visits by high dignitaries, belying the hollow Indian brag. Each visit is like a whiff of fresh air, since it addresses different issues and brings laurels for Pakistan. The Royal visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Pakistan in October 2019 raised focus on climate change but equally importantly, it showcased that local communities have tremendous potential to plan and manage their own development, once they are organized and provided access to necessary skills and capital. The Royal couple witnessed it firsthand during their visit to Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, where Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP), a private, non-profit company, established by the Aga Khan Foundation in 1982 to help improve the quality of life of the villagers of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral has transformed the locals to secure many notable achievements in social and economic domains. Key achievements include manifold increase in incomes, construction and rehabilitation of more than 4000 small infrastructure projects (bridges, roads, irrigation channels, hydropower units and other small projects), the planting of tens of millions of trees and the development of hundreds of acres of marginal lands, developing a cadre of more than 50,000 community activists, mobilization of nearly $ 5 million village savings, and the establishment of more than 4,993 community organizations. Most importantly, the literacy rate in Gilgit-Baltistan is 73% but in Chitral, it has shot up to 98 percent while women empowerment in this region is the highest as compared to elsewhere in Pakistan.

Following visits by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Muhammad, Dutch Princess Beatrice, the arrivals of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to Pakistan deserve special mention.

The Turkish President reiterated his unequivocal support for the downtrodden residents of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK), which brought about a strong demarche from New Delhi. President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an highlighted that New Delhi’s brutal approach to the region “aggravates the situation” and “does not bring any benefit to anyone”. The Turkish President’s carefully worded but delivered from the heart address to the joint session of the Pakistani Parliament drew applause from every Pakistani. Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, in his inimitable style, besides sending a clear message to the beleaguered Kashmiris and India, declared Turkey’s full-fledged support for Pakistan at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) summit. The FATF is meeting to discuss Pakistan’s downgrading to the dreaded Blacklist, continuation in the Grey List or removal from its present predicament. Pakistan has few friends and, in a forum, dominated by India, Islamabad’s hopes are pinned on Beijing and Ankara.

Erdo?an concluded his two-day official sojourn to Islamabad with calls for even greater cooperation between the two brotherly countries. The two sides signed numerous memorandums of understanding ranging from defence cooperation to enhancing trade. Erdo?an is perceived as an eloquent and powerful voice in the global milieu, which is beleaguered by Islamophobia.

Apparently, the Turkish leader’s frank comments hurt New Delhi, as the Indian external affairs ministry called upon “the Turkish leadership not to interfere in India’s internal affairs”. The Indian External Affairs Ministry fails to take cognizance of the fact that far from interfering, President Erdogan was actually calling India out for its brutality in IOK, something that many others in the international community have failed to do. The Turkish president also hailed Pakistan’s efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan. He reminded the world of the Muslims of the Indian Sub-continent in their support of the Caliphate. A sense of gratitude has been transferred to Pakistanis after the partition of India.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres ushered fresh confidence in Pakistan’s efforts to declare itself as a safe destination for tourism, sports and visits. Antonio Guterres not only appreciated Pakistan’s contribution in peacekeeping around the globe but lauded its sacrifices in the endeavour. It is no mean achievement to have dispatched men and women in uniform to establish peace in some of the most challenging locations of the world for the last six decades and having established goodwill and camaraderie amongst warring factions. The UN Secretary General was also beholden to Pakistan for its generosity in hosting Afghan Refugees for more than four decades despite its own meagre resources. Pakistan’s continued overtures for the peace process to take hold in Afghanistan did not go unnoticed by the Antonio Guterres.

The two sides signed numerous memorandums of understanding ranging from defence cooperation to enhancing trade. Erdo?an is perceived as an eloquent and powerful voice in the global milieu, which is beleaguered by Islamophobia

India should have taken cognizance of the UN Secretary General’s clear and unbridled call to implement UN Resolutions on Kashmir. India has been claiming that the UN Resolutions on Kashmir are outdated and contradicting the disputed status of Kashmir, annexed Kashmir and Ladakh into the Indian Union on 5th August 2019 and has held the Valley in a state of lockdown for over six months. Guterres, who has served for ten years as UN High Commissioner for Refugees and has visited Azad Kashmir on numerous occasions, thanked Pakistan for full access provided to United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan in Kashmir. Pakistan’s “extraordinary achievements in counter-terrorism” also received laurels from the visiting dignitary, his spontaneous comment recounting Pakistan’s journey from “terrorism to tourism” became a meme.

The writer is a retired Group Captain of PAF. He is a columnist, analyst and TV talk show host, who has authored six books on current affairs, including three on China