India’s bid to ‘isolate’ Pakistan thwarted, says PTI

KARACHI: India's attempt to isolate Pakistan has been thwarted with a successful foreign policy by the government, read a statement issued Sunday by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.

"Prime Minister Imran Khan had always promised uplifting Pakistan’s global image," read a message attached to a video shared by the official PTI Twitter account. "From thwarting Indian plans of isolating Pakistan diplomatically to becoming the voice of Kashmir and hosting foreign heads of State, PM Khan’s foreign policy makes us relevant globally!"

According to the PTI, Pakistan's relations with the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the United States have strengthened considerably. "Pakistan's role in the Saudi-Iranian conflict and the Afghan peace process has become central," it added. It also observed that many countries, including the UK, have improved travel advisory for the country.

The effort — trending under the hashtag #PakistanStandsWithPMIK on Twitter — also highlighted the prime minister's role as an ambassador for Kashmiris. "[Indian Prime Minister] Modi's fascist ideology and India's cruel policies have been exposed globally," said the PTI.

The ruling party also highlighted the "huge diplomatic effort globally" by the premier and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, as well as PM Imran's speech in United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 27, 2019.

It noted that the incumbent leader delivered on his promises and, in fact, gained twice the seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. "Time and time again, his decisions are proven right for Pakistan," it tweeted.

The Twitter posts talked extensively about how Modi attempted to divert the attention from the Kashmir issue by calling it a bilateral issue. "PM Khan has made Kashmir an 'international' issue by becoming Kashmir’s voice on all global platforms," it wrote.

Extremists in the Indian government "this time [are] not dealing with a businessman with vested interests but an actual statesman like PM Khan!" said one post. When PM Imran arrived at the National Assembly back on June 26, 2020, for the first time in a while, he spoke of Pakistan's foreign policy successes and achievements.

In a report by The News, the premier was quoted as telling the NA that his PTI-led government had crafted the best ever foreign policy in the country’s history that not only won US trust in Pakistan and restored its dented image, but also brought relations between the two nations on an equal footing.

PM Imran had said Pakistan did not know whether it was an ally or foe of the US in the war on terrorism. Compared with the past, it was now President Donald Trump who showed respect to Pakistan and requested assistance in the Afghan peace process.

“The two countries now have relations on an equal footing and the US has admitted that Imran Khan is right in saying that Afghanistan needs a political not military solution,” he had said.

The PM had also said another big success of his government’s foreign policy was that Pakistan was trying for reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia on their request. Speaking of the Pak-India relations, he had said there would be many opportunities for Pakistan and

India if Kashmir issue were resolved. He had added that the Kashmir dispute stood internationalised because of his government’s efforts. The whole world was witnessing the persecution of Muslims in India and occupied Jammu and Kashmir, he had said, noting that the government had prepared a plan to further raise this lingering dispute at the world level.