On March 1, the heads of 22 foreign missions to Islamabad, including those of EU member nations, issued a joint letter requesting Pakistan to back a UN General Assembly resolution denouncing Russia’s special operation in Ukraine. This letter didn’t sit well with Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan as he slammed the Western envoys that visited his country’s capital urging his country to denounce Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine last week, asking them if they think Pakistan was their slave.
In his words, “What do you think of us? Are we your slaves that whatever you say, we will do?” Imran Khan made this statement while speaking at a political event. It was disclosed that while several countries voted at the UNGA condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Pakistan abstained from voting as well as their political rival India. Imran Khan was said to have asked the European Union ambassadors a question concerning their political rival nation India.
In his words, “I want to ask the European Union ambassadors, did you write such a letter to India?” Khan asked this question over his claims that Europe has failed to condemn India over Kashmir, a mountainous region where Pakistan and India have fought two wars. The Prime Minister added that Pakistan has suffered as a result of its assistance to the NATO alliance in Afghanistan, and instead of thanks, they received condemnation. Khan and his administration were criticized after going ahead with a visit to Moscow in late February shortly before the special operation in Ukraine were declared and meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin just hours after the operation’s launch.
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To be honest, I still do not understand the reason why Western envoys will issue a letter to a country or countries urging them to denounce Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Every country has the right to abstain or condemn Russia’s attack on Ukraine. No country should be coerced to make rash statements that they might eventually have to regret. What the West fails to understand is that Russia has a very good relationship with quite a good number of countries which is why they will not condemn Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Using Pakistan as a case study, they are good allies with Russia. Russia has already agreed to invest in the Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline between Karachi and the city of Kasur in Punjab, a project worth more than $2bn that would greatly help service Pakistan’s ever-increasing energy demands once completed. On the political and security front, Islamabad has reason to seek closer ties with Russia now, especially after the US’s catastrophically executed withdrawal from Afghanistan in August last year.
Considering the good relationship Pakistan has with Russia, they would rather not condemn Russia which might affect their relationship, rather they will choose to remain neutral and collaborate with those working to end the conflict with Ukraine. On Friday, a spokesman for Pakistan’s foreign ministry reportedly stated at a press briefing that it was “not usual diplomatic practice” for western envoys to make public requests as contained in their letter.
I concur with the above statement because that is not the way diplomacy is practiced, taking sides will only aggravate things. Diplomacy is most importantly used to complete specific agendas. Therefore, in the absence of the practice of diplomacy, much of the world’s affairs would be abolished, and above all the world would be at constant war. It is because of diplomacy that certain countries still exist in peace and harmony. Diplomacy is a veritable means for conflict resolution.
Instead of taking sides, both countries should be called to a round table to mediate between them to broker peace and diplomatically reach an agreement for a ceasefire. No country should be forced to take sides, that should be the ideal thing to do. Countries who have abstained from denouncing Russia’s attacks on Ukraine might not necessarily be in support of their invasion, but they are only abstaining to preserve their relationship with Russia which is beneficial to their country and its economy.
Just like the Pakistani leadership is looking to urgently stabilize the country’s inflation-hit economy by increasing domestic production and attracting foreign investment. To achieve its economic goals, Pakistan is aware that it needs to maintain regional peace and avoid getting entangled in the expanding mesh of global power politics.
