When Russia went to war with Ukraine, Imran Khan tried to make a big diplomatic move- visit Russia and show Pakistan’s ability to play neutral. You know, he wanted the best of both worlds- friendship with Russia and alms from the West.
But Khan hasn’t won generosity from anyone. Rather, he is being rebuked and snubbed from all sides, be it the US, the EU or Russia.
Imran Khan’s badly timed visit to Russia
As a Prime Minister, what you should do when two countries are at war? Avoid them, of course.
But Imran Khan is well, Imran Khan. He decided to visit Russia. On February 23, he visited Russia to expand Islamabad’s bilateral relations with Moscow. He was, in particular, keen on greater coordination in the energy sector.
Yet only a day before his visit, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Ukraine Noel Israel Khokhar had underscored Islamabad’s support for Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity.
What was Pakistan actually trying to do? No one can understand. And it is unlikely that Imran himself can explain what was going on in his mind.
Russia’s snub to Pakistan
However, Imran’s international embarrassment started in Russia itself. Moscow was found to be snubbing Khan during his visit.
The separate press releases issued by Russia and Pakistan did not mention signing any agreement or MoU. So, literally, nothing materialised during Khan’s visit to Russia.
Pakistan’s efforts to raise the issue of its bilateral relations with India before the Russian leadership fell flat on their face. As expected, Russia didn’t make any remark against India.
And finally, a planned joint press conference was called off.
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The US is fuming at Pakistan
If Khan had managed to come back from Russia without any gain or loss, he would probably have not been subjected to derision.
But Khan ended up inviting condemnation from the West.
The US for instance is upset with Pakistan. Within Pakistan, it is being felt that Washington, D.C. will hit Islamabad with indirect sanctions following Khan’s meeting with Putin.
In fact, the Federal Reserve Board’s (FRB) US$ 55 million penalty against the National Bank of Pakistan is being perceived as a fallout of Khan’s controversial visit to Russia.
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Meanwhile, the EU is also snubbing Pakistan. It started punishing Khan after he announced his Russia visit earlier this month.
EU diplomats reportedly shot down Pakistan Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa’s request to be invited to a high-profile multilateral conference on the Indo-Pacific last week.
Another request by Pakistan for a one-on-one meeting with High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell Fontelles, was also stonewalled.
As per the sources, Bajwa also wanted to attend the high-profile Munich Security Conference. However, organisers didn’t fulfil his wish and pointed out that Pakistan’s National Security Adviser, Moeed Yusuf, was already supposed to speak on the issue of Afghanistan.
This is quite a disaster for Islamabad. I mean there was a time when Pakistan was seen as a country close to Western powers. But now the West wants to abandon it. And Imran Khan is therefore becoming a matter of derision in international diplomacy, with an admonition from all sides.