Ever since Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has come into power, the government has been working hard on improving its relations with other states. An earlier visit of Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mehmood Qureshi to Egypt and the recently concluded visit of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan to Sri Lanka demonstrate Pakistan’s shift from geo-strategic to geo-economic tendencies in its foreign policy.
PM Khan’s visit to Sri Lanka must be seen as a foreign policy win. The PM and his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa reaffirmed their resolve to work together, which indicates that the leaders understand the importance of cooperation for growth.
Historically, the two sides have always enjoyed warm relations. In Sri Lanka’s offensive against the rebels in particular, Islamabad and Colombo became much closer due to the support we provided. Building on that, PM Khan’s announcement of a military credit line worth $50 million will take the military cooperation between the two nations to new heights. The line will expand security sector relations between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Ever since Sri Lanka has managed to clamp down on insurgency, Pakistan has made even greater strides in developing armaments and defence equipment. Perhaps Colombo can be sold the indigenous JF-17s and other technology we are now producing independently.
Likewise, the signing of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) in many sectors, including higher education, IT and commerce and an informal commitment to take up the bilateral trade to $1 billion will bring the two sides closer than ever.
PM Khan’s decision to pitch the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Sri Lanka reflects our desire to play an integral part in regional development and peace. It suffices to conclude that Khan’s tour was a very fruitful trip to a country that we have had productive and meaningful relations with in a broad sphere of issues. Khan’s efforts to reach out to countries within the region are praiseworthy.
These endeavours show Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace and prosperity. It is clear that this visit was closely watched by experts and policymakers alike in Delhi. Our overtures of peace might find more traction than any war-mongering efforts by spoilers in South Asia.
Source: https://nation.com.pk/26-Feb-2021/diplomatic-gains-made