Call for Pakistan’s new foreign policy independent of IMF’s clutches

A group of students held a discussion at the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs to share ideas about Pakistan’s foreign policy on Saturday evening.

The discussion moderated by Dr Masooma Hasan saw many students contribute their opinions in the form of reservations and advice in the light of a fresh foreign policy under the newly elected government.

Pursuing his PhD, Zahid Fakir said that Pakistan needed to be independent in its foreign policy, which could only be achieved if the country was free from the clutches of the IMF.

He felt that members of the Foreign Office needed to be experts in the subjects. He suggested that people who were well-versed in the international relations should be sent abroad to represent the country.

Another student, Sobia Irfan, shed light on the failure of Pakistan’s foreign policy in view of the country’s current position surrounded by estranged neighbours.

She said that unlike other countries, in Pakistan the civil-military relationship was responsible for the policy and, due to the military’s position as the guardian of the country, the civil leadership would have to find a way to call the shots because of the tumultuous history.

Usman, who is a first-year student of International Relations at the KU, felt that the Kashmir issue had not been pursued aggressively by the country.

He remarked that it was unnecessary for Pakistan to release a statement regarding the recent issue between Saudi Arab and Canada because many of Canada’s allies maintained a neutral position.

Umair Rafiq of SZABIST was of the view that Pakistan had no choice but to take a position on Saudi Arabia’s issue because of its economic dependency in the past.

“I feel that the new civil leadership must focus on getting itself out of the domestic crisis because the military often participates in the formation of foreign policy with sole regards to security. But this time round, we need to refer to think tanks to help in devising a policy because these institutions exist to help states,” he said.

Rani Umer felt that the newly elected prime minister, Imran Khan, must focus on improving the image of Pakistan globally while balancing the relationship with the soft powers and the superpower.

“An objective foreign policy is the need of our time and we need to use the right tools for it like media. Also, Imran Khan is a popular leader so he should use this to his advantage,” she said.

Most of the students stressed the need for the normalisation of relations with India, observing that having ties with the country would help propel the economy further.

They agreed that the CPEC should be given the importance it deserved to foster better relations with China.