These interactions have created a new foreign policy reality for Pakistan. Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Moscow to meet Russian President Putin just hours before Russians invaded Ukraine is a manifestation of this shift. Khan’s visit however has not changed the uncomfortable reality for Pakistani’s political class, whose role remains irrelevant in shaping the country’s foreign policy.
The hard reality is that the military establishment in Pakistan continues to dominate the regional dynamics. Therefore, Imran Khan’s visit to Moscow was cosmetic and superfluous at best.
Though one may argue that Khan is presiding over the country's political system and is apparently in control of all levers of power in the country, then why do all visiting foreign dignitaries pay homage to General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the General Headquarters? Is it because the dignitaries from the regional countries want to discuss matters of concern with the military leadership only?
The military leadership wanted to visit Washington while the PM was visiting Moscow. In fact, General Bajwa was in Brussels days before Khan called on Putin, which shows the military leadership was not in favour of making a spectacle of the country's new foreign policy realities.
It would be wrong to imagine that the US was not privy to these regional developments, and Pakistan’s changing orientation. The relations between Islamabad and Washington were cold for exactly this reason.
Meanwhile Pakistani military leadership showed signs that it didn’t want to bring the situation to a head pre-maturely. The military leadership wanted to visit Washington while the PM was visiting Moscow. In fact, General Bajwa was in Brussels days before Khan called on Putin, which shows the military leadership was not in favour of making a spectacle of the country's new foreign policy realities.
Khan’s rash move to see Putin has pushed Pakistan further into a corner. To make matters worse, the PTI rulers committed another mistake by calling the no-confidence motion against the PM an American conspiracy. Some of them posted fake news on the social media that the American CIA chief had ordered the removal of Khan from office. This is rather outlandish.
Khan has failed to create a credible space for himself in the diplomatic world. So far into his tenure, he has engrossed in petty party politics and has ignored foreign policy matters.
It's also common knowledge in Islamabad’s strategic circles and away that Pakistan’s foreign policy is restricted to regional security situations, defense procurement and military and intelligence matters. And Khan and his political government have no role in this harsh reality. Histrionics, melodrama and conspiracy theories might earn the PTI government some extra votes in the next elections but making rash foreign policy moves and feeding fake news about international conspiracies will only deliver a severe blow to the country's interests.
The emerging foreign policy realities should be a cause of concern for Pakistan, which can only offer military expertise and military manpower to the world. This will impact the country’s power structures adversely. And politicians will always work as puppets who will be easily ousted from the power structure of the country.