In reference to a report published in your newspaper in regards to Maleeha Lodhi’s recommendations to intensify efforts to expose Indian atrocities following the Prime Minister’s speech. War does not resolve issues, it only creates more. 

While PM Nawaz’s UN address was balanced, focusing on Kashmir, Indian atrocities, and Afghanistan, it lacked the passion and delivery which was the hallmark of perhaps the only capable Pakistani leader ZAB. Skilled in foreign affairs, well-read, Bhutto had a grasp on world issues and was acknowledged for his skill by friends and foes alike. With our Foreign Office dominated by octogenarians as advisors, and diplomats with conflicts of interest, either possessing or in the process of acquiring foreign immigration for self or family, or being beneficiaries of NGO foreign funding, there is not much that can be expected from them. 

Pakistan desperately needs a full time Foreign Minister, who engages with other states and takes on foreign assignments, and convinces them of our legitimacy in regards to our stand on various issues. Foreign policy should be based on long term economic and strategic national interests, with inputs from all stake holders, rather than being dictated by short term political objectives of individual regimes, either civil or military. What purpose was served by men like Haqqani, Durrani, and the like, posted in US, other than serving their godfathers? 

We are fighting and achieving results in the war against terrorism, but losing on the diplomatic front. The PM is too busy in matters of the state and lacks the skills to handle vital task of planning a strategy for a successful foreign policy. Our establishment needs to get out of the Zia and Musharraf Doctrine, which reduced this country to an errand state, offering services which would serve interest of foreign states, but with disastrous consequences for our own country. Our long term national interests would be served by having cordial workable relations with all our neighbours, while making efforts to have good relations with all three superpowers USA, Russia. and China. We should also focus on achieving real economic growth, increase in exports, tax collection, and acquiring technological self sufficiency. It is imperative that, like the US Constitution, it should be mandatory that only citizens of Pakistan who live here permanently should be allowed to hold any public office, head political parties, and nobody other than the state authorities be allowed to collect taxes or maintain an armed disciplined militia working strictly within its defined jurisdiction. 

MALIK TARIQ ALI,  

Lahore, September 25.