Restoring Pakistan’s dignity and pride

If ever any two words had significance and relevance far beyond their literal meanings, they would be the ones spoken by Prime Minister Imran Khan: ‘Absolutely not”.

When asked by Jonathan Swan of HBO Axios whether he would “allow the American government to have the CIA here in Pakistan to conduct cross-border counterterrorism missions against Al-Qaeda, ISIS and the Taliban”, Prime Minister Khan’s response comprised two words: “Absolutely not”. He went on to elaborate that “there is no way we are going to allow any bases or any sort of action from Pakistani territory into Afghanistan”.

These two words may come to define the confidence that Pakistan has been gaining since Imran Khan assumed the office of the prime minister. He has been categorical in re-establishing Pakistan’s sovereignty and dignity, restoring its pride and its inalienable right to take decisions serving its interests. In this context, he has successfully withstood all pressures that have been exerted by multiple stakeholders to operate as a conduit to advancing their strategic interests and drag Pakistan back into the quagmire of war and bloodshed.

Nevertheless, one should bear in mind that speaking these two words may not be without repercussions. One can cite a few instances from our own short history. These repercussions could be in the shape of maximising efforts to destabilise Pakistan from within and without and hurting its interests in its interactions with international organisations including the World Bank, IMF, FATF, and others. So, while this is the only honourable course for a self-respecting country to pursue, Pakistan will have to watch its flanks carefully in doing so.

The history of these words goes back many years when Khan had originally declared that war would not bring peace to Afghanistan. He had pleaded for negotiations when the rest of the world was hounding for blood. Despite being labelled as ‘Taliban Khan’, he remained steadfast in his belief to shun war and find a solution to the long-raging conflict through negotiations showing flexibility and mutual accommodation. His advice then was not heeded, and the bloody strife dragged on for over a decade, costing hundreds of thousands of dead and trillions lost in running the brutal war machine.

It is only recently that the whole world has converged around the idea of a negotiated settlement of the decades-old bloodshed. It again fell on Khan’s Pakistan to facilitate a dialogue between the US and the Taliban which resulted in an agreement paving the way for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan in exchange for an assurance that its soil would not be used for any terrorist activity.

Understandably, the US is riddled with second thoughts and wants its capability for conducting operations inside Afghanistan to remain intact. For that purpose, it approached Pakistan for access to an airbase to launch drone strikes against Al-Qaeda, ISIS and the Taliban. This would have meant a continuation of the debacles of the Zia and Musharraf eras when Pakistan was pulled into wars which it had no reason to be fighting.

It is thus that Pakistan became the victim of a blowback, ending up paying a heavy price in terms of both material and human costs in fighting the scourge of terrorism. It is also during that period that we constantly heard the US mantra of ‘do more’. We were caught up in this vicious spiral where Afghanistan was only a marginal reason. The real target was Pakistan’s relations with China and the expanding network of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which did not suit the US’s strategic interests. With one strike, it wanted to bludgeon Pakistan’s relations with China as well as force it to integrate its interests with those of the US which would have come at a terrible cost to its strategic partnership with an all-weather friend whose support has been unstinted and unconditional.

It is only that, this time around, we read the script right and took a considered decision to stay away from the conflict domain. Pakistan is eager to see peace return to Afghanistan. Continued fratricide across its western border is ominous and can impact the prospect of economic resurgence of the countries of the region including Pakistan. That is why it facilitated the initiation of a dialogue between Kabul and the Taliban so that they could reach a mutually acceptable agreement that would pave the way for the advent of peace in a war-torn Afghanistan.

This is a paradigm shift which many of my friends are struggling to understand. Unlike some past dictators, Khan is not looking for legitimacy from anyone other than his own people. Unlike others who occupied the saddle of power before him, he is not eager for acceptability by the world which would come about by sacrificing Pakistan’s core interests. That is not him. His mind works by clearly delineating what is in the best interest of the country and its people and then going on to devising strategies and mechanisms to implement his plans and achieve his coveted objectives. There is never a shade of doubt. There is never a hint of compromise. That is what distinguishes him from the coterie of charlatans who ruled this country before him and left it wobbling at the nadir of ignominy and doom.

Pakistan is moving forward. Pakistan is on an upward trajectory. There is no looking back. However, this success comes at a heavy cost for the mafias. That’s why they are hell bent on blocking its progress simply because they don’t see a role in the realm of a successful Pakistan dedicated to alleviating the sufferings of its marginalised communities. It is Pakistan’s interest and that of its people which remain paramount in Prime Minister Khan’s outlay of priorities, peace being a major prerequisite. That is what he has struggled for over more than two decades and that is what he remains uncompromisingly dedicated to accomplishing.

‘Absolutely not’ is not just a firm no to diluting Pakistan’s core interests, it is also a no to those who have not given up on devising devious stratagems to bring violence and terrorism back to the country. Those days are over but, somehow, this is not being digested by these terrible operators because their political future and the survival of their brand of politics are at stake. They know that they would not be able to reclaim their place in the ruling echelons if Prime Minister Khan and his passion, Pakistan, were to succeed.

With time, the two words ‘absolutely not’ will symbolise Pakistan’s resurgence as a sovereign, dignified and proud country. Pakistan is rising.

The writer is the special assistant to the PM on information, a political and security strategist, and the founder of the Regional Peace Institute.

Twitter: @RaoofHasan