Salman Masood
islamabad - Enver Baig, the former PPP senator, hosted a farewell dinner for the outgoing Indian High Commissioner Dr TCA Raghvan at his palatial house in Bani gala the other night. Mr. Baig, known for his flamboyant style and gracious hospitality, is a natural charmer and has cultivated diplomats as person friends ever since he looked after the foreign affairs committee of Pakistan Peoples Party. Now, allied technically with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Mr. Baig might be on the the fringes of the ruling party but he is still at the forefront of Islamabad’s social and diplomatic scene.
The farewell dinner for the outgoing Indian diplomat was attended by several diplomats, intellectuals, journalists and talk shows hosts. Amongst the prominent diplomats were the French ambassador Martine Dorance, Japanese ambassador Hiroshi Inomata, Dr Song Jong Hwan, Ambassador of South Korea, and Suhrab Hussain, the High Commissioner of Bangladesh.
In a warm farewell speech, Mr. Baig said he first met Dr. Raghvan when he was posted in Islamabad in 2003 as deputy chief of the mission and immediately struck a friendship. “This is your home, whenever you visit Pakistan, whether in a personal or official capacity,” Mr. Baig said while noting that Dr. Raghvan has been rather reticent about his post-retirement plans.
“I am retiring from government but not retiring from life,” Dr. Raghvan had quipped earlier while talking with the guests. “I hope, now, you will give more time to the family,” Mr. Baig said in light-hearted humor, leading to a loud laughter in the drawing room of his residence, known as Jhelum House.
Dr. Raghvan , while thanking the former senator for playing the perfect host, said that he admired the candor and frankness of Mr. Baig during his stay in Pakistan.
Regarding the bilateral relations, Dr. Raghvan noted that despite the “tactical ups and downs”, Pakistan and India relations were at “a tipping point.” He said India has been making an effort to engage Pakistan in bilateral talks and Prime Minister Sharif’s meeting with his Indian counterpart at Ufa, Russia, had carried the same desire.  He said he was surprised that his recent address at an Islamabad-based think-tank ‘Centre for Research and Security Studies’ was received negatively by the Pakistani press. The Indian High Commissioner had caused a stir earlier this week when he said that Pakistani military is illegally occupying the part of Kashmir under its control. While he maintained that it is India’s longstanding position, inevitably, the Pakistanis responded sharply by terming the comments as “ill-timed” and “factually incorrect.” However, diplomats from both sides say that despite the entrenched positions of both estranged neighbors, there is a forward momentum to revive talks. Mr. Raghvan said he was glad that he was leaving at time when there was optimism in the air.
Some guests at the farewell dinner expressed concerns that several ministers in the federal cabinet were not at talking terms. “How can the government function like this? Shahbaz Sharif has not spoken to Ishaq Dar for months,” one guest said to a diplomat. “Khawaja Asif is also not at speaking terms with Ishaq Dar,” the guest said. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Khan’s estrangement with his cabinet colleagues is also no secret matter. There was an equal sense of bewilderment that despite the lapse of two and a half years, Pakistan was still without a foreign minister.
Other foreign diplomats at the dinner were piqued at the Saudi announcement of a 34-nation alliance and the fact that Pakistan was still awaiting to be told of its exact role in the new coalition. The earlier attempt by Saudi Arabia to include Pakistan in its military push against Yemen did not go well. However, there is an impression this time that Pakistan would be an active partner of the coalition in one form or another.