ISLAMABAD – The world is changing, the old and established Cold War formatsof international relations where states formed exclusive alliances andblocs has faded. The world has evolved into a Global Village with amultitude of interdependencies between sovereign states. Pakistan is noexception.
Our geopolitical considerations have been dictated by a multitude offactors including religious extremism leading to long-drawn-out militaryoperations to political instability to the weak economy, just to name afew. Due to a host of reasons, our institutions have been slow to react,realign and initiate a comprehensive and consolidated state response. Thereasons for this also vary from a lack in a structured approach, lopsidedpriorities or political interferences.
An example of this is our nation’s civil service which has been affectedsignificantly by this crisis-ridden environment. Unfortunately, a dogmaticand traditional approach to international relations has prevented focus oninnovative and out-of-the-box solutions.
The previous government appointed several non-career diplomats based ontheir skills and ability to key ambassadorial posts. Some of these includedMasood Khalid, Pakistan’s 3rd term ambassador in Beijing who has beeninstrumental in facilitating the CPEC vision; Maleeha Lodhi, thewell-respected face of the country at the UN; Ali Siddiqui, the articulateand passionate entrepreneur in Washington; Vice Admiral (retd) Khan HashmiBin Siddique, Pakistan’s ambassador in Riyadh, etc.
In a surprising move, the PTI government has decided to recall many ofthese enterprising individuals. This was exemplified by Pakistan’srock-bottom relations with the global superpower, the United States, at thestart of the year when the Trump-led administration suspended nearly all ofthe $1.3 billion in annual security aid.
He also tweeted that Pakistan had “given us nothing but lies & deceit”while diplomats working at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington were barredfrom traveling outside of a 25-mile radius around the city withoutapproval. All the while a career diplomat who was at the helm of thePakistani Embassy in Washington failed to mitigate the situation.
Realising the need for drastic improvement, the previous governmentappointed Ali Jehangir as ambassador in May 2018 during a time period whenthe atmosphere between Pakistan and the US was one of distrust and tension.
Siddiqui presented a model for bolstering the Pak-US relations based onbusiness and trade opportunities. In an interview with Bloomberg on Pak-USrelations, he identified key areas of cooperation between the two statesand opportunities for future growth. His efforts to bind together theeconomic interests of the two countries reflected his internationalexposure, background in business as well as government.
Similarly, the ambassador undertook efforts for cordial meetings betweenForeign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo,National Security Adviser John Bolton and leaders and members ofhigh-powered Congressional Committees during the foreign minister’s UN tripto the US in October. Some believe Siddiqui’s closeness to Trump’sson-in-law Jared Kushner did the trick.
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These efforts were reflected in Shah Mehmood’s statements post the visitthat they had made “significant progress” and there were “visible change inhow the US conducted talks this time”. He thanked Ali Siddiqui post thevisit for his role.
The underlying theme is by no means an effort to discredit anyone. Thecivil services career officers have a history of producing best officers inall fields.
Now, however, the scenario has changed once more. In a sudden announcement,the PTI government approved the appointment of new ambassadors in the US,the UK, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Dubai, Cuba, and Serbia.
Consistency is a key element for building relations and one that we need tofocus on considerably. Only by having and following a defined policy andsystem can we push our narrative across to key stakeholders and for this tobe successful we need to have in place people who can actually play a rolein delivering the message. This could be persons who are not part of thetraditional structure and could be based on their skill sets.
The world is changing, and we need people who bring a multitude ofexperiences and abilities to the table. In Britain, Jeremy Hunt, the UKSecretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, is invitingbusiness leaders to become British ambassadors; Donald Trump, a real-estatetycoon, made it to the office of the president of the world’s leadingsuperpower; while French President Emmanuel Macron was an investment banker.
The PTI government has focused on meritocracy — and rightly so. It isquintessential for the leadership to understand the fast-changing worldwhere talent is currency. Former COAS Jehangir Karamat, a general appointeddiplomat; Sherry Rehman, a journalist-turned-diplomat; and Dr Maleeha Lodhimade the world recognise their talent as diplomats. It is time to give thenew breed a chance and let them take the country forward.
