The fanfare and pomp that welcomed PM Khan as he touched down on Sri Lankan soil on Tuesday was a pleasant surprise. A special documentary recalling his cricketing days has, especially, warmed many hearts, his, and would be remembered for long as a great gesture from a longtime friend.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka have traditionally enjoyed cordial relations, notably after Pak Army lent the latter military support in the closing stages of its civil war. Building on this connection, PM Khan inked an agreement to increase intelligence sharing between the two countries and even offered an olive branch of a $50m line of credit for defence purchases. Now, some might criticise his move (along with his Rs 52 million sport development fund and 100 medical scholarship) as a squandering of precious resourced amid particularly pressing financial times. However, Khan’s strategic landing should be compared to Chinese and Indian vigorous efforts to woo this crucial player on the Indian Ocean. Pitching the CPEC as a means to enhance bilateral trade was a much-needed move since the two-way trade is relatively limited ($359 million last year) when the potential stands at $2.7 billion. Pakistani sugar and cement, for instance, can go like hot cakes in the island nation if the government is willing to focus on these exports. Since Lankan investors are finally warming up to South Asian markets, now is our chance to sweep in and minimise the serious COVID hit taken by our economy.
Warm welcomes aside, the Sri Lanka visit has not offered the prime minister any opportunity to raise any foreign policy issues. Having gained an international reputation for taking up the issue of Islamophobia with great passion, Khan was expected to discuss both the Kashmir issue and the forced cremation controversy that has lately embroiled the Rajapaksa brothers. However, last week, his scheduled address to the Sri Lankan parliament was cancelled citing the pandemic. Given Colombo’s refusal of 15 Muslim parliamentarians request to meet PM Khan, it would be worthwhile to consider speculations regarding Sri Lanka’s attempt to avoid confrontation with India. Had the premier raised the growing antipathy towards Lankan Muslims (Buddhist protests on animal sacrifices, forced cremation of COVID patients) or New Delhi’s expansionist agenda in Kashmir valley, he was bound to ruffle some feathers in India.
Khan’s visit–the first since the pandemic struck the world–calls for celebration over the sole fact that things are returning to normal. Therefore, he cannot, and should not, be blamed for prioritising his country’s relations over the problems brewing within another nation. Respecting your allies’ sensitivities is what a shrewd statesman should prudently pursue, especially if he wants the relationship to stay the course. Yet, if he could have slid in just enough time to answer a 13-year-old’s call for help (even using a low tone), he would have gained both humanitarian and domestic wins. *
Source: https://dailytimes.com.pk/728073/khans-state-visit-to-sri-lanka/