Seminar: ‘Pakistan has a leadership crisis’

She was addressing a seminar titled Way Forward Politically for Pakistan in the World Today organised by the PTI.

“Foreign policy should be based on national interest. The government should develop a strategy to compete with the changing international landscape,” she said.

She said Pakistan should not isolate itself from the rest of the world. However, she said, international relations should be based on respect for territorial sovereignty.

“We want good relations with India but not its hegemony in the region. Pakistan has been a strategic partner of the United States in the war on terror and it has cost us thousands of lives,” she added.

She said Pakistan should seek cordial relations with all neighbouring countries, including Iran. She said Pakistan could not afford to alienate Iran. Mazari said the present government had suddenly developed a news policy on Syria and Bahrain.

“The government should clear its position on the $15 billion [Saudi] package as all political parties have great apprehensions about this [support],” Mazari said.

“Pakistan does not have an identity crisis. It has a leadership crisis,” she said.

Opposition Leader in the Provincial Assembly Mian Mehmoodur Rashid said the United States had adopted a divide-and-rule policy among Muslim countries.

“US always speaks about promoting democracy but it supports an entirely different policy in the Middle East. We should review our foreign policy as Saudi Arabia is acting on a specific agenda. Pakistan should not become party in this agenda and we should establish cordial relations with all neighbours like India, Iran and Afghanistan,” he said.

PTI Punjab president Ejaz Chaudhary said Pakistan should shut down donor agencies and banks it wanted to stand on sovereign footings.

“The government should first address core issues before extending friendly relations with India,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2014.