Bad timing, Mr. Prime Minister

This is not a good time to land in Moscow for any world leader, much less Prime Minister Imran Khan who has large fan following in Europe and the US.

His advisors like Shahbaz Gill had been giving comparisons between him, a de jure prime minister, and Vladimir Putin, Russia’s de facto president, in the run-up to his visit.

To further expose their statesmanship or lack thereof, now they are arguing that the prime minister did not know that by the time he landed in Moscow, Russia was just about to fly its warplanes on Ukrainian skies.

It means that they are actually suggesting that the prime minister was more unaware of the volatile situation than the ordinary man on the street who had watched Putin’s address to the nation on the Russian TV, not to speak of the content that mainstream global media was producing on Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The be-all and end-all of their arguments was what Pakistan can get from friendship with Russia. But none of them, including the technocrats hired from the US think tanks to set direction of our foreign policy, was able to tell the prime minister what the country may lose if Russia goes wild and launches the attack on Ukraine, which by inference is an attack on the European Union and the US.

Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa perhaps knew what the folly of this visit may cost us which was why he had been to Belgium last week. He seemingly knew that if the US is not playing ball with us on the issue of Afghanistan, we must not let go of the EU too.

In Belgium, “[m]atters of mutual interest, overall regional security situation including current situation in Afghanistan & bilateral relations with EU were discussed. COAS said that Pakistan values its relations with EU countries & earnestly look forward 2 enhance mutual cooperation based on common interest. EU dignitaries appreciated Pakistan’s sincere efforts for peace & stability in the region & pledged to play their role for increased collaboration with Pakistan at all levels.”

Even before this visit, he had many meetings with the EU Ambassador to Pakistan Androulla Kaminara.

Time was when the US ambassadors were frequent visitors to Rawalpindi but after Donald Trump took over five years down the road, this practice was severed. Even after his defeat to Joe Biden, few people in Islamabad know who the US ambassador is.

Kaminara, on the other hand, got active holding business seminars, meeting clerics, visiting shrines and organizing dialogues on inter-faith harmony and tolerance.

Mindful of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s leaning towards Russia, she seldom shares on social media the warnings and sanctions that the EU has imposed on Russian individuals and companies.

But the EU ambassador to India uploads this stuff very regularly. In the recent upload, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, categorically condemned the Russian attack at the “centre of Europe” and demanded withdrawal of troops.

Though she has not named Pakistan, she has made it clear that “in this dark hour, European Union and European people stand with Ukraine and Ukrainian people”.

Pakistani foreign office could have, nay should have issued a clarification at least diplomatically stating that the visit does not necessarily means that we back invasion of Ukraine. But it has not.

Instead of Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has been releasing information that the PM will stay in Russia for two days as per plan and a meeting with President Putin may take place.

The US has minced no words reacting to the PM’s visit declaring that all “responsible” countries are supposed to voice concern on the Russian invasion. US State Department Spokesperson said that they have also conveyed to Pakistan their position on the Ukraine crisis and their preference for diplomacy over conflict.

Time has proved the US right as President Biden had been consistently issuing warnings of an imminent Russian attack on Ukraine.

This visit will have far-reaching ramifications equally for the country and for the ruling party. As long as Ashraf Ghani remained in power in Kabul, rupee was somewhat stable against dollar. But then Pakistan backed Taliban and our currency value plummeted. Already, the US had turned back from Pakistan, agreeing to give aid only to the people of Afghanistan and not the Taliban government. The EU was somewhat being polite with us in a hope to pursue some humanitarian work in Afghanistan with our help. But the timing of prime minister’s visit has almost left few avenues open for the EU to explore. At this time, expecting any substantial returns from Russia is a pipedream because in the days to come sanctions on Russia are going to be tougher. The challenge for our foreign policy tsars is to foil Indian media war bracketing us with Russia the invader. The mantra of being neutral in world affairs is not only misplaced, but ridiculous at this moment. Extensive diplomatic engagements are needed now more than ever.

The writer teaches mediatization at International Islamic University Islamabad