New government and geopolitics in Pakistan

New government and geopolitics in Pakistan

The most talked about issue in South Asian politics right now is the departure of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan. He was removed by the country’s parliament in a no-confidence vote. The removal of a caretaker Prime Minister is nothing new in Pakistan’s political history. In the last seven decades, no Prime Minister of Pakistan has been able to complete his term.

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But just as the political rise of cricket captain Imran Khan, who won the World Cup against Pakistan, has been discussed, so has his removal. There are allegations from Imran that he had to be removed due to ‘independent foreign policy’. Analysts of world politics also say that there is a geopolitical connection with the removal of Imran. There is talk that the wrong and dangerous foreign policy is too late for Imran.
Imran Khan’s Foreign Policy: Imran Khan spent most of his life in the UK, studying at Oxford. In his personal life he is as much pro-Western and liberal as in his political life. Seeing him reminds me of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the father of the Pakistani nation. Although he was secular in his personal life, he capitalized on the spirit of ‘Muslim nationalism’ in his politics. After Imran Khan came to power, he wanted to show many surprises. In particular, he aspired to be a world leader. Pakistan has been important in the Muslim world from the very beginning. However, this importance remains in solidarity with Saudi Arabia. But the new anti-Saudi axis that Malaysia-Qatar-Turkey-Iran wanted to build had Imran’s connivance, which angered old friend Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan was one of the few countries where US presidents usually called the prime minister after entering the White House. But no phone call has been made to Imran’s office since Joe Biden became president. No invitation has even reached Pakistan for the US-initiated climate conference. Imran was upset about this. But it will be seen that he has taken diplomacy to personal ego. Having received “unexpected” treatment from the United States, he has sought to become closer to the more anti-American axis. Even after being invited to last year’s US-sponsored ‘Democracy Conference’, Imran’s government refused. His stubborn foreign policy became clearer during his visit to Moscow on the eve of the Russia-Ukraine war. The video of him cheering as he landed at the airport and called for a “great visit to Moscow” has gone viral.

Imran’s distance with the West was created due to various reasons. One of them was Imran’s position on the Taliban issue. Imran Khan was less critical of the Taliban. He was excited about the return of the Taliban to power. If the prudent Imran had wanted, he could have canceled his visit to Moscow and become a hero to the West. But he did not. He wanted to show the White House that Putin was the cause of their headaches, and that the man who had not received their phone was sitting next to Putin. Imran’s visit to Moscow was not a very important or successful one. Imran’s office said he had gone to discuss the gas line. New Delhi, a closer and tested ally with Moscow than Islamabad, has used the Russia-Ukraine issue quite cleverly. Not even a broken stick can kill a snake. But Imran also broke the stick, The snake did not die. As a result, it is clear that Imran’s visit to Moscow was driven by personal ego or resentment towards the United States.

Imran, on the other hand, mentioned by name that US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu was “conspiring” to remove him. Donald Trump, however, avoided the question. However much the Biden administration is concerned about the Ukraine issue at the moment, it is not aware that it is aware of a nuclear-armed Pakistan. Although Pakistan does not have an Indo-Pacific strategy, the White House still needs control over Pakistan in Central Asia, Iran and Afghanistan. To remove Imran, two rival political parties, the Muslim League, the PPP and 10 opposition parties, have joined hands and moved a no-confidence motion in Parliament. Last year, Imran Khan survived such a no-confidence motion, but this time he had to say goodbye. This incredible unity of the opposition is thought to have been backed by Western powers and the country’s military.

Army issue: The military’s influence in Pakistan’s politics is outstanding. In addition, the country’s foreign policy and defense policy is said to be controlled by the army. The country’s military has long received funding and training from the United States. In addition, many army officers have assets in the West. As a result, the country’s military is perceived as pro-US. Analysts also hint that the army has an indirect hand in the current issue. For a long time, the Imran government had been in dispute with the army over various issues. They were at odds over the appointment of an inexperienced politician as chief minister of Punjab and the appointment of Imran’s favorite Fayaz as the latest ISI chief. It is alleged that the ambassador provided the information to Fayaz. However, in recent times, the military has maintained a neutral stance on the issue. The army chief’s last-minute meeting with Imran proved that the army was in a position to decide who would take over.

New government: Former Punjab Chief Minister and former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif’s brother Shahbaz Sharif has been appointed as the new Prime Minister. Nawaz Sharif was not only removed as Prime Minister in 2016 on corruption charges, but was also forced to resign from the party following a High Court order. There are rumors that he too had to relinquish power due to a tug of war with the army. He is currently in the UK. Now Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has a relationship with the new Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. Modi also flew to Lahore to wish his brother Nawaz Sharif a happy birthday. As the leader of Punjab, he has good relations with the Chinese. The current Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina also has good relations with the Sharif family. Besides, the position of Sharif’s party Muslim League on Bangladesh issue is also constructive. As a result, Pakistan may move towards a new foreign policy in the Shahbaz era.

However, critics of Shahbaz say that Shahbaz will be the ‘puppet’ prime minister of America. In fact, US influence in Pakistan has not ended. There is Western influence in civil society, rights activists and the media. However, the new foreign policy adopted by the new government seems to benefit the United States. Meanwhile, it is learned that the US President and the Prime Minister of India are going to hold a virtual meeting where the issue of Pakistan will come up. The new government may bring charges against Imran for corruption and violations of the constitution, as was the case with Nawaz Sharif. Attempts will be made to suppress Imran’s political rise. But Imran’s party is playing the role of opposition party in PTI Parliament. As a result, it cannot be said that his politics is over. But he faces many challenges. The challenge is also facing the new government of Pakistan. Balanced diplomacy, fragile economy, inflation, Unemployment has become a

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