Tour Washington: IK in Limelight, India in Tears
Prime Minister Imran Khan reaches Washington DC on his three-day official trip via Qatar Airways commercial flight where an enthusiastic crowd of 30,000 overseas Pakistanis awaited for his grand welcome. For the first time in history the director general of Inter-Services Intelligence and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Bajwa are side by side with the Pakistani Prime Minister to meet the US President.
According to Dawn News, a South Asian Affairs scholar commented: “Policymakers in Washington have noticed that after a long time, Pakistan’s civil and military leaders are on the same page on key issues.” This exemplary cordiality of civil military relation is apparently indigestible by India who are instead trying to bring justice for “Baloch Group forced disappearances” as highlight of the visit rather than actively participating in Afghan peace talks.
It is clear that restlessness prevails in India as major world powers move forward with the peace process in Afghanistan and India is busy stressing over its fate of investments worth $3 billion which is yet to be decided in this war-stricken country.
As published in The Guardian that Pakistan Prime Minister is meeting with Donald Trump in hope to “to mend relations mired in mutual distrust and restoring financial support cut off by the US president.” To this Pakistani’s Premier tweet is enough to counter the backlash where he said, “Instead of making Pakistan a scapegoat for their failures, the US should do a serious assessment of why, despite 140000 NATO troops plus 250,000 Afghan troops and reportedly $1 trillion spent on war in Afghanistan, the Taliban today are stronger than before.”
The agenda of Imran Khan’s tour to Washington is to show support of Islamabad with the US for Afghan Peace Process talks with Taliban and to promote the arrest for Hafiz Saeed who has been the lead behind the terrorist group responsible for Mumbai 2008 suicide attacks. This is a sign of good faith on behalf of Pakistani Premier for the fight against extremism.
However under the circumstances, while Imran Khan is indulging in Afghan peace process talks at the US front as a show of good faith, the odd timings of a series of press conferences being held by opposition alliance in the Pakistan is not a mere co-incidence but an example of dirty politics. Clearly, the opposition unable to do anything is crying over spilt milk.
