By Agha Iqrar Haroon
Islamabad understands that the Indo-Pak war is not yet over, and only the kinetic domain has ceased for the time being. Pakistan defeated India in Marqa-e-Haq and detonated decade-old “Af-Pak” hyphenation, and now the world is back into an “Indo-Pak” scenario.
Taking a swift move, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has decided to gear up diplomatic engagements. He is sending a diplomatic delegation to expose Indian propaganda and conspiracy at the global level, and the delegation will be led by Chairman Pakistan People’s Party and former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Dr. Mosaddiq Malik, Engineer Khurram Dastgir, Senator Sherry Rehman, Hina Rabbani Khar, Faisal Sabzwari, Tahmina Janjua, and Jalil Abbas Jilani are part of the delegation. The delegation will expose India’s propaganda in the region and efforts to destroy regional peace in London, Washington, Paris, and Brussels.
This is a smart and timely move as the nation understands that Marqa-e-Haq was won because all state institutions were working at their best. Pakistan’s armed forces had always been the best in the region, but were lacking diplomatic support and narrative-building tools in the past. Winning Operation Swift Retort in 2019 did not help Pakistan to place Islamabad as a winner because sending Indian pilot Abhinandan back to New Delhi within hours after his arrest left a message of dimness in the diplomatic sphere. The reasons could be many, but the ultimate result was that Indians portrayed Pakistan’s goodwill gesture as a kinetic and diplomatic weakness.
The delegation led by Bilawal Bhutto will highlight Pakistan’s efforts to maintain peace in the region, Pakistan’s policy of restraint during Marqa-e-Haq and Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos, and Pakistan’s policy of “Peace Maintainer” in the region.
In the diplomatic domain, Pakistan is spending less than what India is spending, as Pakistan’s foreign office annual budget is just $125 million compared to India’s budget of $2.8 billion. Pakistan has 122 missions in 89 countries, while India is running foreign missions in 130 countries. Indian Prime Minister Modi’s diplomatic engagements in the last 11 years were greater than those of the Pakistani civilian governments. Modi undertook 157 foreign visits to 73 countries over 11 years, incurring expenses of 8,400 crore Indian rupees. Modi has made the highest number of visits (of any Indian PM in 11 years), totaling ten to the US, eight to France, and seven each to Japan, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates. However, Pakistan’s Diplomatic Corps out rightly defeated Indian diplomatic initiatives practically when India left only with two friends who categorically supported the Indian version of the story of the Pahalgam incident, while the rest of the world accepted what Pakistan was saying.
Despite significant efforts to foster global connections, India’s isolation during critical times, such as war, is a topic of widespread discussion nowadays. This credit surely goes to those who were leading the narrative domain from the Pakistani side, and they were the Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR) of Pakistan Armed Forces, Pakistan’s Diplomatic Corps, and to some extent, matured Pakistani media. DG ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry and his team were providing correct, verifiable, and unbiased information to foreign media 24/7 and providing audio, visual and content material scientifically about Indian’s involvement in cross-border terrorism in Pakistan, damages done by Indian’s Operation Sindoor, and then what Pakistan achieved out of Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos.
All domains’ strategic move is so far-reaching that now DG ISPR is reaching out to children and youth in educational institutions— a much-needed and much-awaited move that would surely tell Pakistani youth what kind of terrorism India has launched against Pakistan and what Pakistani forces are doing to mitigate this menace.
When a serving Diplomat was asked to comment about the successes of Pakistan in all domain, particularly in Diplomatic one, he with the condition of anonymity said that Pakistan has one of the best Diplomatic Corps in the world and this Corps just needs an unambiguous position of Civil and Ministry leadership about any assignment conferred to Pakistani diplomats.
“We make wonders as we are professionally raised under the leadership of the greatest diplomats of the world, we are focused, energized with patriotism, and can directly hit the enemy as a Fateh missile once we are assigned what to do without any ambiguity. We possess strong communication and negotiation abilities, humility, deep understanding of international relations and cultural sensitivities. Diplomats must be aware of and respect the cultural norms and values of other nations to build bridges and facilitate communication. One of the failures of Indian Diplomacy was its arrogance, which it has been showing during the last two decades. Now they are eating what they have cooked”, he commented.
There is no doubt that India has been showing arrogance in the global sphere, and one can listen lectures of S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India, at global forum where he is habitual of teaching global diplomats “how much India is supreme and all other diplomats must give him maximum respect” etc.
Arrogance and Diplomacy can no longer go together in a multipolar world, and even the United States understands this reality. The world is not living in the 90s, and this is mid of the second decade of the 21st century, where Western dominance has already been challenged and where arrogance can only bring embarrassment even for global powers.
The Greek philosopher and poet Homer, in his epic poems “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey”, says arrogance (hubris) is a momentous factor in war but a destructive force for individuals and groups. He believes excessive pride can lead to downfall, especially in times of conflict. Do we not remember that Odysseus, who was one of the best warriors, blinded the Cyclops Polyphemus in arrogance, but this act ultimately prolonged his journey at sea?
Homer teaches that true strength lies not only in physical prowess but also in humility and the ability to learn from one’s mistakes. Does India learn from dust dust-licking defeat of its “Operation Sindoor”?
Oh, Achilles—Your rage and pride prevented you from returning to battle and ultimately contributed to the deaths of Patroclus and Hector- Homer
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this article/Opinion/Comment are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the DND Thought Center and Dispatch News Desk (DND). Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of the DND Thought Center and Dispatch News Desk.
