Opportunity Missed?
By Misbah U. Azam, PhD
Phoenix, Arizona
President Zardari’s visit to the US did have a positive outcome; however, as reports suggest, he failed to debate Pakistan’s position on pressing issues and concerns regarding long-term economic goals, trade, regional disputes with India, and war on terror.
1. An opportunity was missed to follow up with the US on the evidences presented by Rehman Malik in the Senate on the involvement of foreign agencies in Baluchistan operating from the Afghan soil. Instead, President Zardari declared that India posed no threat to Pakistan, and according to some reports, Rehman Malik went to the extent of asking Delhi to “help” Pakistan in fighting the terrorists!
2. The Pakistan Army is now operating in full force to roll back the existential threat to Pakistan and it will be successful in achieving this goal provided it enjoys strong political and diplomatic backing of the civilian leadership (which unfortunately does not appear to be the case at this point of time). However, not only the armed militants but India as well are an existential threat to Pakistan although the level of this threat could be debatable.
The Pakistan government may believe that India is no threat to Pakistan but India does not seem to share this view about Pakistan. India will not leave any opportunity to drive Pakistan into further isolation so that its disputes with Islamabad could be resolved on India’s terms.
Forcing the Army to move from the eastern to the western borders could be a long-term strategic nightmare for Pakistan if the disputes with India are not resolved. Unfortunately, an opportunity to argue this ground reality with the Obama administration has been lost. So also the chance to remind the US President of the promises he made before the elections.
3. The Army operation against the Taliban is in full swing and according to the ISPR so far 29 soldiers of the Pakistan Army have been martyred. But in the West there is still significant mistrust, not on the capabilities but the willingness, of the Pakistan Army. The US visit was an opportunity for the leadership to dispel this mistrust and to convey Pakistan’s point of view.
4. Other than the Pakistan-Afghan Transit Trade Agreement, whose parameters are still unknown, there wasn’t no investment or trade agreement between Pakistan and the US was signed.
Although, there is a visible discomfort among the people because of presidential powers, the positive note is that Pakistan is a democracy and if the system is allowed to function by reverting back to complete Westminster style democracy, the institutions will soon achieve the resilience and then it may be irrelevant which party was ruling or which individual was president or prime minister of the country.
The PPPP, PML(N) and ANP do not lack visionary and pragmatic politicians, so the future of Pakistan breeds optimism and hope. However, the present government should face the international players and media only after doing thorough homework. In the course of the current visit, the leadership mostly sounded apologetic before the US officials and media, and furnished them an opportunity to raise more questions rather than the leadership itself giving them straight answers.
