PM House’s ‘diplomacy’ leaves Pakistan red-faced

SARDAR SIKANDER

Increasing meddling by the Prime Minister House in the foreign affairs – that too without professional input from the diplomatic corps and relevant quarters – has of late left Pakistan red-faced.

 Close aides and diplomatic authorities had advised Premier Nawaz Sharif against Pakistan’s participation in the Heart of Asia conference in Amritsar, India, where Pakistan’s delegation in general and Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz in particular were mistreated, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The PM House’s plan to send Aziz to Amritsar in a bid to break the ice with India backfired, prompting him to address a hard-hitting news conference against India and Afghanistan, shortly after landing back home from the two-day moot that concluded on Sunday. “Worldwide, key decisions on sensitive diplomatic issues are taken keeping in view the input of the missions concerned functioning abroad, intelligence reports and advices of the diplomatic establishments,” said an official privy to the issue. “In this particular case, our diplomatic mission in New Delhi, the security agencies and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, etc were of the view that ground conditions in the host country are hostile and signing up for an event in such a situation would not be without repercussions,” the official added. As per the policy, sources said, the Foreign Office gets input from the security establishment on key policy decisions of national security and it is made sure that the stakeholders are on the same page prior to taking crucial decisions. Interestingly, the officials said, the new security establishment was not taken into the loop as far the decision to send Aziz to Amritsar was concerned. “It was a bizarre attempt to assert control and convey a message that the government is in charge of foreign policy. This went horribly wrong. We went to the Heart of Asia and now we are cribbing and crying over the humiliating attitude of India and Afghanistan.”

Speaking to The Express Tribune, foreign affairs analyst and ex-diplomat Rustam Shah Mohmand said the prime minister is the authority in granting permission on the issues concerning to countries like India and Afghanistan. “For all practical purposes, the PM is at the helm as far as the policy decisions are concerned. This is a routine practice. The crucial foreign policy issues of national importance seek PM’s vigorous intervention. Apart from the FO, such issues can be taken up at the cabinet meetings and even in parliament.” To a query regarding adviser’s participation in HoA, the ex-ambassador said Sartaj Aziz performed his responsibilities professionally but the Afghanistan president “played very smart.”

“I think the adviser shouldn’t have bilaterally met the Afghan president—who levelled wild allegations against Pakistan right in the middle of the conference—in front of the delegates from 14 states—there was no need to hold a bilateral meeting with him—and it was uncalled for on part of our foreign affairs advisor to say that the meetings were ‘productive’ and ‘useful’.” PM’s Adviser Amir Muqam also defended the decision regarding participation in HoA moot. “By default, prime minister is also the foreign minister. If he is dealing with diplomatic issues, it’s because he is fully authorised to—and not to forget that Heart of Asia conference is a multilateral forum that has representation of over a dozen states. It was not an India-specific conclave. Our boycotting the event would have fingers of criticism pointed at us,” he said, when approached.

PM’s spokesman Musadik Malik did not respond to comment on the issue. Prior to the HoA moot episode, the telephone call between PM Nawaz Sharif and US President-elect Donald Trump made headlines globally. In an unprecedented move, the PM House released the transcript of the call, which did not go down well with Trump transition team as well as Western media, with many questioning this motive.

In this matter too, the FO is said to have been bypassed by the PM House and not consulted in the issuance of the related press release. Reportedly, the PM House’s media wing took the matter in its own hands without having the relevant expertise and professional training, in apparent disregard to the delicacies and sensitivities involving diplomatic affairs. Dr Hasan Askari Rizvi, diplomatic and strategic affairs analyst, termed the move as ‘undiplomatic and unprofessional’. “You don’t release the actual text of a conversation without clearance from the other side. This is very professional behaviour. Whosoever did this; Foreign Office or PM House, tended to behave in a highly unprofessional manner,” he told The Express Tribune. http://tribune.com.pk/story/1255939/pm-houses-diplomacy-leaves-pakistan-red-faced.