Lost gem

Martti Ahtisaari, former president of Finland and Nobel Laureate, died on Oct 16 at the age of 86. He was an international diplomatic star who wanted to see peace in the world. His organization, CMI - Martti Ahtisaari Foundation, is quite active, resolving conflicts around the world. Also, he was one of the driving forces of The Elders, together with Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Kofi Annan and Jimmy Carter, among others. But what connection did he have with Pakistan? He graduated as a teacher from the University of Oulu in 1959, and his first-ever job was as a teacher at the Swedish Institute of Technology in Pakistan. He spent three years there (1960-1963) and would say that his international career started with Pakistan.

He planned so many times to visit Pakistan again but that never happened. And even when I and many former ambassadors of Finland to Pakistan kept telling the story, the government of Pakistan never realized what a huge PR vehicle they could have. Ahtisaari often mentioned that he would have liked to show Karachi to his wife. Another funny link: former FM and PM of Finland Alexander Stuff is the chairperson of the CMI, and Ahtisaari was his mentor and idol in many ways. But during his tenure as the foreign minister of Finland, Alex was the one who decided to shut down the Finnish Embassy in Pakistan.

Wille Eerlola

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