Daily Times Editorial Aug 7, 2010

“Storms will come…”

Pakistan is in the grip of many storms. Some are nature-driven, others man-made. And the two are not without a nexus. The amount of vitriol that has been expended on President Asif Ali Zardari’s visits to France and Britain beggars belief. Everything in the heavy artillery of that section of the media and public opinion who cannot believe that the president can ever do anything right has been thrown at him. The criticism may be motivated by prejudice and bias that rests on the president’s controversial past, but a pause for breath and reflection may yield some dividends of balance in our riven polity.
First and foremost, the president is accused of not being in tune with the ‘outrage’ felt by this inimical section of opinion about British Prime Minister David Cameron’s remarks while in India regarding Pakistan “looking both ways on terrorism”. The howls of indignation reached such a pitch that a cancellation of at least the British part of his itinerary occupied much airtime, columns of print, and dominated the chatter in myriads of drawing rooms. Now Cameron may at best be accused of being undiplomatic and insensitive regarding the nuanced policy of the west towards Pakistan since 9/11. But did his “plain speaking” contain at least a grain of truth? Is it not common knowledge (although spoken of elliptically and in hushed tones) that our security establishment not only created and nurtured the jihadis who have by now turned on their mentors, but that they continue to support the Afghan Taliban even while taking the field against our own home-grown variety? If this is not ‘looking two ways’, what is? Cameron may also be accused of currying favour with New Delhi while drooling over potential lucrative weapons deals with the west’s newfound ‘strategic partner’ (with a malign eye on China’s rise), but this too falls in the category of the known. President Zardari and the government must have weighed the balance between an emotional response based on false national pride and the critical needs of the country when deciding to go ahead with the visit despite all the criticism. Good statesmanship this, albeit some may consider it bad populist politics.
The second reason for all the angst about the visit was the tragic situation of floods and destruction at home. It seems the critics may be harbouring some secret inadvertent hope that the president could turn back the waters like King Canute or offer a Noah’s Ark for the needy. His presence may have given satisfaction to this lobby, but how much of a difference it would have made to the situation on the ground is a moot question. Nevertheless, to labour a point, good statesmanship, but perhaps bad populist politics.
Of course the president may be accused of poor decisions to visit his father’s chateau in France or allow the speculations about the launch of Bilawal Bhutto at a party rally in Birmingham. Questions are in the air about the château as well as the charge that the British leg was about Bilawal more than Cameron. However, Bilawal has unsportingly pricked that balloon by revealing that he will not be addressing the Birmingham rally and intends to take a law degree next before contemplating an active entry into our bed of thorns called politics.
The French leg has sunk without a trace amidst the ‘storm’ about the British part of the visit. The French were at their diplomatic best in making placating noises that mean little concretely, while the British, despite Cameron and his spokespeople’s public bluster, seem to have attempted a mending of fences with Mr Zardari and Pakistan. Whether the Pakistan-UK relationship is “unbreakable” or not, it is certainly important in the context of the present conjuncture. Both sides need each other vis-à-vis the struggle against terrorism, and Pakistan needs Britain for trade and aid. Pragmatic, but perhaps not good populist politics.
We need a balanced and mature conduct of statecraft, not a buffeting by buffoons who cannot see beyond their emotion-wrought noses. No doubt, now that this ‘storm’ appears to be abating, ‘friends’ will find something else to castigate their favourite punching bag with, as the prime minister woefully put it the other day.