Dodging many balls

Pakistan has been caught in the middle of rounds of fire from many different directions,       as Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif sets out on a visit to China where he has said his government hopes to renew the special links between Islamabad and the country that now counts as its closest ally. This relationship was shaken when China joined in a Brics declaration last week, condemning terrorism from groups based in Pakistan. In response, Khawaja Asif has said that all issues will be addressed and that Pakistan is eager to build friendships with as wide a spectrum of nations as possible and also regenerating confidence in his own will to battle militancy.

Regenerating this confidence is of essential importance. Following a hard-hitting attack by US President Donald Trump, Khawaja Asif had cancelled a visit to the US and instead scheduled that trip to come after meetings with leaders in China and Russia. Iran has now also been added to the list. Islamabad is obviously very keen to find allies and not face a situation where other former friends turn into foes. Asif will also need to find out if the change of tack from China applies to its opposition to Indian efforts to have JeM leader Masood Azhar declared a global terrorist by the UN. So far China has used its veto power to block all such attempts and this meeting is a good opportunity for China to reiterate that policy. Asif’s China’s visit will be watched particularly closely by India, whose army chief General Bipin Rawat gave a paranoid speech where he raised the spectre of China and Pakistan launching a two-front war against India. Such fear-mongering is baseless since Pakistan has always been open to bilateral and multilateral talks and it is the Modi government which has adopted a hawkish stance. But this does show how clearly the battle lines have been drawn in South Asia. India, especially after the invitation from Trump to further involve itself in Afghanistan, is squarely in the US camp while Pakistan and China are bound together by CPEC.

Asif, while once again stating that Pakistan is looking to improve ties with unfriendly countries, has said that the recently-concluded envoy’s conference at the foreign ministry discussed how relations need to be reviewed in the context of India’s brutal occupation of Kashmir. Army Chief Bajwa too has called for a diplomatic and political solution to Kashmir. Ultimately, Pakistan’s relations with all its neighbours and the US are linked, which only adds to the importance of the Beijing visit. And Pakistan’s constant exhortations that we are only seeking peace in Afghanistan require the unflinching support of China if they are to be heard by the international community. It is also important to find some way for Pakistan to push its own perspective further. Perhaps this opportunity can arise when Khawaja Asif, alongside Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, addresses the UNGA later this year. Diplomacy has to remain the focal point of attention by Pakistan’s leaders so that envoys everywhere as well as leaders at the higher level can put forward views that help remove Pakistan from a situation where it has become a target for global isolation.