News Desk |
Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has said that the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa played a key role to end Pakistan’s international isolation.
Talking to the media in Lahore, the PML-Q leader said Pakistan’s relations with other countries were strengthened due to the silence and behind-the-scenes diplomacy by General Bajwa.
This is a huge regional realignment in which the analysts believe Pakistan military played a role in building up the confidence and restoring the trust between the three countries.
Many analysts in Pakistan also credit COAS with developing mutual trust with the international community. Defense analyst Ikram Sehgal told Dr. Moeed Pirzada on GNN last week that the army chief played a significant role in improving Pakistan’s relations with the leadership of the UAE, which had stayed somewhat aloof during the Nawaz government.
Nawaz Sharif’s government had taken the matter of Pakistan’s role in Yemen crisis to the parliament for an open debate. While Saudi Arabia did not react, the UAE which had close ties with Pakistan and was expecting Pakistan’s help in the matter felt betrayed.
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Ever since Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies have been trying to improve relations with the UAE; on Dec 21 the UAE announced $3 billion for Pakistan in a balance of payments support and to help Pakistan avoid a stringent International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal.
“The UAE has announced its intention to deposit US$3 billion in the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to support the financial and monetary policy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) said in a statement published by WAM news agency. The announcement itself is the manifestation of the restoration of trust and relations between Pakistan and the UAE.
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The other major evidence is the shift of venue for the direct US talks with Taliban from Doha in Qatar to Abu Dhabi in the UAE where a few days ago Zalmay Khalilzad had a 3 days long meeting with Taliban in which once again, after 20 long years, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE were also participants. This is a huge regional realignment in which the analysts believe Pakistan military played a role in building up the confidence and restoring the trust between the three countries.