Pakistan is demographically a significant player in regional and global dynamics. Capitalizing the strengths and performing as per the potential has not been possible for the country, political instability is the major factor. Military leadership has been serving as the silver lining of the cloud here. Their consistent efforts to ensure friendly relations with the countries have proved to be beneficial for the country.
Financial concerns of the country have also been dealt with the military diplomacy. It includes garnering financial assistance from Pakistan’s International partners and maintaining the country’s conventional military capability vis-à-vis threats in the region. The aspect of military diplomacy has been balanced in a visionary manner despite the increasing great power competition and declining defense budget.
Pakistan has played a leading role in ensuring regional security in pursuit of which we have made monumental sacrifices. The contributions of Pakistan to global peace through participation in 41 United Nations peace missions across twenty-three countries, laying 163 lives for global peace has earned it great respect as a responsible actor in the international community. The counter-terrorism success of the country has also been acknowledged by the global community.
The participation of Pakistan’s armed forces in joint military exercises and international competitions has raised Pakistan’s stature globally and also enabled the country to have balanced foreign relations with countries including the US, Saudi Arabia, the UK, China, and Russia. Pakistan-China Joint Military Cooperation Committee, Pakistan-US joint exercises, Pakistan – Russia joint counter-terrorism exercises, and Qatar’s request for Pakistan’s security contingent for the upcoming FIFA world cup 2022 are a testament to this fact.
The 3rd International Physical Agility and Combat Efficiency System (PACES) Competition, 53rd World Military Shooting Championship at Lahore under the auspices of Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM) in 2021, and 5th International Pakistan Army Team Spirit Competition (PATS) in 2022. A novel approach to hosting international military cricket matches with Australia, England, and Sri Lanka played a significant role in the resumption of international cricket in Pakistan. These international sports and competitions in Pakistan were only possible due to special emphasis by the military leadership, which is indeed a matter of prestige for any nation.
Why has Pakistan been unable to capitalize on its strengths?
For the past five months, the political environment of Pakistan has faced grave economic and social turmoil. Pakistan has not forged a role befitting its potential due to several reasons. The whole nation has been divided into two blocs; PTI and PDM. PTI’s anti-American stance and propagation of US conspiracy against the PTI government has undoubtedly affected the Pak-US bilateral relations. The state institutions have been falsely dragged into the topic and blamed for the chaos and instability. Overall has damaged Pakistan’s reputation internationally.
Foreign policy has been held hostage by the overindulgence of political leadership in domestic politics and power games. Also, the tendency of blaming external powers for their plight has been a major setback. The reason is more or less the inability of Pakistani politicians to navigate the differences of opinion. They tend to indulge in petty fights. After the no-confidence motion, the political unrest has been evident and the non-stop war of words, legal actions, and audio leaks have made it clear that the current political landscape of the country is complicated.
The only way forward right now is a unified approach. The history of Pakistan has also witnessed immense power in unity. The national institutions have always stood by the successive governments to tackle the issues related to the national interest. A unanimously agreed upon national security policy has to be adopted which puts financial security on priority. All the differences and power thirst must be shunned in order to adopt a policy, unanimously endorsed by all the stakeholders.
Pakistan needs to build up a global perception of being a peace-loving, resilient and responsible country that has made unmatched contributions to global peace and has much more to offer. This is possible by showcasing our strengths via mainstream plus social media, extraordinary focus, synergy, and a forward-looking foreign policy.
