The saying “the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing” perhaps befits the present rulers of Pakistan. There are two cases in point: one, visits to China by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari; and two the snub that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi suffered when the Indian cricket team captain refused to receive the Asia Cup trophy from him in Dubai. And this all boils down to a basic question: is the treatment related to the credibility of and respect for Pakistan’s leadership as a whole?
First on the Sino-Pak relations. Why send unnecessarily mixed signals about a relationship that has survived multiple crises on the back of an unwavering commitment by the Chinese leadership – which is extremely measured, modest and cognisant of the geopolitical complications that Pakistan currently faces?
Close associates touted President Zardari’s recent 10-day visit to China as a “soft reset” in Pakistan-China relations, as if something were not right in the relations.
Only a couple of weeks earlier, Prime Minister Sharif had described the Pakistan China relationship as “ironclad” and “all weather, unique and unparalleled bilateral association that needs to be further enhanced. Sharif made these lofty remarks during and after his meeting with President Xi Jinping in Beijing on September 2. The impression that Pakistani bureaucracy peddled after the meeting was one of “all is well on track for CPEC 2.0”.
President Zardari toured four cities – Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province; Shanghai, China’s financial hub; Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region; and Kashgar, a strategic city in western China close to the border with Pakistan – along with the entire family.
Curiously, none of the top three leaders – President Xi, Premier Li Qiang and Foreign Minister Wang Yi – met with President Zardari. Even in case of a goodwill visit, any of the top leaders usually takes time out to see a foreign dignitary.
Although he constitutionally has no executive authority, President Zardari spent almost 10 days in China. It appeared like a personal business trip rather than one by a head of state. One wonders if he secured some fresh deals with Shanghai Electric for Pakistan or for certain Sindh-based companies?
During his first presidential stint, Zardari had traveled to China some 13 times, mostly outside Beijing because Chinese diplomatic officials felt uncomfortable every time the President would head to their country.
Even in his post-visit interview with CGTN, President Zardari made some disjointed remarks on the nature of bilateral relations such a “we stand with China in good times and bad times not that I see China going through a bad time, but even then, we are there, in case [we are] needed.”
Have the Prime Ministerial and Presidential visits and their respective statements elevated the prestige of the country at all and raised their stature as self-respecting national leaders with integrity? Jewry is out on this fundamental issue.
This brings us to the sad episode when the Indian cricket team weaponised the Asia Cup winner’s trophy by refusing to receive it from Mohsin Naqvi, the President of the Asia Cricket Council (ACC).
Pretty childish conduct, one must say, that belittled the Indians rather than humiliating Naqvi.
But the point I want to make here is about Pakistan’s meekness that accompanied the entire episode. Although Naqvi demonstrated his displeasure as ACC president by taking away the trophy and medals with him, the Indian cricket board i.e. BCCI now plans to lodge a complaint against him at the upcoming ICC meeting in Dubai, accusing him of misconduct.
On the contrary, as of now, no official complaint has been lodged by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) or the Government of Pakistan against the conduct of the Indian team or its captain.
Pakistani government or cricket officials have not yet demanded any reprimand for or the accountability of the unsportsmanlike and politically motivated behaviour of the Indian team.
Neither has there been any diplomatic engagement with other ACC and ICC members to bring other ACC or ICC members on board to call out India for politicising a major sporting event.
Why have the Pakistan government and its cricket board taken this insult lying low? Shouldn’t they have forcefully taken up the issue with friendly countries and mounted a collective critique of the Indian team – that obviously was string-pulled by New Delhi?
Aren’t these instances instructive enough for introspection by our leaders as to whether they are doing their best in national interest? Or do their personal ambitions take precedence over issues such as national pride and self-respect?
I wonder what would have happened if any other head of state or government were visiting China, even if on a goodwill visit; or what befell Mohsin Naqvi in Dubai? Aren’t they a cause enough for these leaders to rethink their priorities?
