There was no joint press conference and no joint statement after Prime Minister’s Imran Khan’s meeting with Russian President Vladiimir Putin despite the hype created regarding the extension of the “important” meeting from the originally planned one hour to three hours. The government’s propaganda machinery, though specializing in making a mountain out of a molehill, remained tongue-tied. The PM returned from his first official visit to Russia without a rousing welcome by his supporters or a feeling of coming home after winning the World Cup.
According to a handout from the PMO on Thursday, Mr Khan took up a number of important issues with President Putin. These included the Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline Project, cooperation on prospective energy related projects and need for addressing the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. He also highlighted the human rights violations in Indian occupied Kashmir and underscored the need for a peaceful resolution of the issue.” According to the PMO, Mr Khan “regretted” the latest situation between Russia and Ukraine and said that Pakistan had hoped that diplomacy could avert a military conflict. The premier also expressed concern about rising extremism and Islamophobia and stressed the need for interfaith harmony and coexistence.
There was apparently no response on any of these issues from President Putin. The one-liner issued by the Kremlin makes no mention of these matters by tersely stating that the two leaders discussed the main aspects of bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on current regional topics including developments in South Asia. Period. Putin was obviously unprepared for, and presumably resented, the lecture on how not to deal with American provocations in Russia’s neighbourhood, had reservations on how Pakistan sees Pak-India relations and considered that more preparatory work needed to be done before making any commitment on the gas pipeline. This raises the question whether the visit was undertaken without necessary preparatory work and consultations.
While failing to reach an understanding on vital issuess with Russia, the government continues to alienate the West. This is what one is forced to conclude from President Alvi’s criticism of the policies of the USA and Europe at a public function. While political leaders are free to make such statements, coming from the head of the state these can mar relations with other countries and cause harm to Pakistan.
