Sharif’s vision: How does the Pakistani Prime Minister view Islamabad’s foreign policy?
Pakistan celebrates its 75th Independence Day; Not only in the midst of an uncertain international environment, due to the fallout from the Russo-Ukrainian war, including rising inflation and a mounting energy crisis, but also in the midst of a quarrelsome domestic environment; Pakistan witnessed a change of political leadership after a period of political turmoil that led to the overthrow of former Prime Minister Imran Khan; On April 11, 2022, the Pakistani parliament elected opposition MP Shahbaz Sharif, head of the Pakistan Muslim League, as the new prime minister.
collaborative aspirations
There is no doubt that Shahbaz Sharif inherited many of the challenges and problems facing Khan, which raised questions about his ability to deal with these challenges, which he highlighted in his first speech; Where he pledged to expedite the completion of development projects and the start of economic recovery to confront massive public debt, accelerating inflation and a declining currency. On the international level, Sharif stressed his quest to restructure the country’s foreign policy, to ensure the rebuilding of old alliances of Pakistan, and to open a new page with traditional opponents by repairing relations that were strained with these countries during the era of “Imran Khan.” Hence, Sharif’s vision of Islamabad’s foreign policy can be addressed through exposure to the most prominent priority files; This is as follows:
1- The shift in relations with Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia is an exception to Pakistan and its foreign relations; For the entire political elite, with a few exceptions, relations with Riyadh are very important. There is a general awareness that the Saudi ruling family is always present to save Pakistan whenever it finds itself in trouble since the 1970s; After Shahbaz Sharif came to power, he confirmed during his first speech that he was committed to restoring the old state of warmth to relations with Saudi Arabia, the leadership and the people, and this was evidenced by the fact that it was his compass on his first foreign visit.
Sharif tried to use his first visit, in April 2022, to highlight the repercussions of his good relations with Saudi Arabia for his local audience; Sharif told the media: “We do not see this relationship from a bilateral or give-and-take perspective, but from the perspective of complete solidarity and understanding resulting from our strong leadership contacts and close cooperation on matters of regional and international importance.”
In addition to mutual interests; While Pakistan is seeking financial support, Saudi Arabia has agreed to renew a $3 billion deposit in the Central Bank of Pakistan to boost declining foreign reserves. In return, Saudi Arabia also wants to reach nuclear cooperation between Riyadh and Islamabad, a report by the Washington Institute revealed. He pointed out that the talks between Shahbaz Sharif and Saudi officials touched on the nuclear cooperation file between the two countries, especially that the Khan government did not take practical steps in this regard.
2- Strengthening bilateral relations with the UAE: Sharif was keen to go to the UAE after his visit to Saudi Arabia, last April, in an indication of its priority in relation to his foreign agenda; Where Sharif discussed with His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, ways to strengthen relations and regional and international issues. The two sides also discussed “the historical relations of the two countries and ways to strengthen and expand their horizons in various fields, in addition to a number of regional and international issues of common concern.”
In another indication of the cooperative relations, the UAE announced, this August, its intention to invest one billion dollars in Pakistani companies in various economic and investment sectors. This is within the framework of the UAE and Pakistan’s keenness to continue cooperation in various fields, including gas, energy infrastructure, renewable energy, health care, biotechnology, agricultural technology, logistics, digital communications, e-commerce and financial services.
3- Expanding bilateral relations with Iran: In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Islamabad, Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari hastened, in June 2022, to visit Iran and discussed with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian, regional and bilateral issues. The two sides pledged to expand relations between the two countries. This is the first visit of a high-ranking Pakistani official to Iran, since the formation of a new government in Islamabad.
For his part, Zardari said Islamabad is seeking ways to strengthen relations with Tehran, stressing areas of cooperation such as border management, religious tourism and cultural cooperation. He added that his country seeks to remove obstacles to the expansion of bilateral trade, with a focus on cross-border trade and border markets, expressing at the same time Islamabad’s interest in importing more electricity and gas from Iran, and explained that despite the communication, borders and common cultures between the two countries, there is “a lot of of potentials” on both sides to expand religious and economic tourism.
4- Improving relations with Turkey: Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif described relations with Turkey as “unique” in terms of mutual trust, understanding and support for each other’s national issues, and expressed his satisfaction with Ankara’s support for Islamabad in the Jammu and Kashmir issue, while reaffirming His country’s commitment to Turkey’s core interests. Sharif also indicated, on June 1, during his visit to Turkey, that “our relations are improving with the dynamic leadership of my brother Erdogan,” and that “Pakistan and Turkey are natural partners and we have many common problems,” and he continued, stressing that “the enemy of Turkey is always the enemy of Pakistan.” .
In this context, during Sharif’s visit to Ankara, the two countries signed 7 agreements in various fields, in the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. The agreements included a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the housing field, a cooperation protocol in the field of debt management and a technical one between the Turkish Ministry of Treasury and Finance and the Pakistani Ministry of Economy, and two memoranda of understanding on developing bilateral trade and economic relations, and on technical cooperation in the field of road engineering. The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding between the Presidency of Strategy and Budget in the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey and the Public-Private Partnership Authority in Pakistan, and an information exchange framework agreement between the governments of the two countries.
5- Turning a new page with India: In his first speech, Shahbaz Sharif affirmed his desire to improve relations with India and resolve the disputed Kashmir crisis between the two nuclear neighbors. He also invited his Indian counterpart to resolve the Kashmir dispute and work to eradicate poverty in the two countries. This aspiration can be traced back to Sharif’s family connection to India; The Sharif family hails from the Anantnag district of the Indian-administered Kashmir, and settled in the early twentieth century in the city of Amritsar in the northwestern Indian state of Punjab.
Although India continues to assert Pakistan’s responsibility for the increase in terrorist operations in the region and the increase in disputes over the Kashmir region, it received Sharif’s initiative by sending him congratulations; Where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that his country “desires peace and stability”; There is reason for optimism that Shahbaz Sharif will follow the same pace and work on stabilizing relations with India, especially since the period of Nawaz Sharif’s rule was more stable than during the tenure of Imran Khan; Where he sought reconciliation and linking the two countries through railway projects. Hence, shared geopolitical interests may provide a new opportunity for cooperation between India and Pakistan.
6- Seeking a mediating role between the United States and China: Sharif, as the new leader of the country that had managed to reunite Washington and Beijing in the midst of the Cold War half a century ago, emphasized that Pakistan could once again play a role in facilitating de-escalation in favor of better ties Bilateralism with the two leading powers: the United States and China, thus avoiding a potentially devastating collision, which would have untold consequences for the international community.
In the same context, Sharif called for the adoption of constructive relations with the United States, which reflects his quest to repair the relations that were strained with these countries during the era of “Imran Khan”, especially since this approach is consistent with the vision of the military establishment, which deals with good relations with the United States. the United States as one of Pakistan’s priorities.
But on the other hand, China is a special case with regard to Pakistan’s foreign policy; Therefore, Sharif relies on the strength and cordiality of Pakistan-China relations; The diplomatic relationship between Beijing and Islamabad dates back to 1951, due to the common hostility towards India. Shahbaz Sharif also enjoys good relations with China, Pakistan’s most important ally at the present time. Sharif played an active role in establishing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor within the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative.
There is also full cooperation in the fields of industry, special economic zones, technology and agriculture within the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The two regional allies are always working to expand trade, investment and economic relations. But this does not mean that relations with China are a matter of real policy; This means that the Pakistani foreign policy establishment often views relations with China as a matter of interests and power.
7- Controlling relations with the European Union: “Shahbaz Sharif” stressed the need to enhance high-level interaction between Pakistan and the European Union, in order to strengthen the mutual partnership between the two parties; This is after the period of tension that marred this relationship during the era of Imran Khan. He stated this during his meeting, in August, with the newly appointed Ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan, Dr. Rina Kiyonka, adding that Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with the European Union, and is keen to strengthen and develop these relations in various fields.
8- Multi-faceted cooperation with the UK: Shahbaz Sharif described the relations between Pakistan and the UK as “deep-rooted and broad-based”, stressing since taking office his intention to work closely with the British government to expand the “long-standing friendship” between the two countries and advance take the “multi-faceted relationship” to the next level. In August, Pakistan and the United Kingdom signed a bilateral agreement regarding the return of convicted criminals and immigration offenders from the United Kingdom to Pakistan. Under this agreement, the two countries will be able to repatriate the criminals convicted by the competent courts in the two countries.
experienced politician
There is no doubt that the appointment of “Shahbaz Sharif” as Prime Minister of Pakistan will have a significant impact on the development of the country’s regional and international relations. This is due to many personal characteristics and political experience that Sharif possesses, the most prominent of which are the following:
1- Veteran political family: Shahbaz Sharif obtained a Bachelor of Arts from the University of the Government College, and is the younger brother of the former Prime Minister for three non-consecutive terms, Nawaz Sharif. Sharif has been the leader of the opposition in the Pakistani National Assembly since August 2018. He is also the current leader of the Pakistan Muslim League, and took charge of the party after his brother, who formed the party currently in the British capital, London. His eldest son and political heir Hamza Sharif is also a leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly, and a candidate for the premiership of the province.
2- Rich political experience: The official website of the Punjab Parliament described Sharif as a “dynamic political leader”; Where he began his career in public service by assuming the position of Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Lahore in 1985, and “Shahbaz Sharif” was elected a member of the Pakistani National Assembly (Parliament) during the period 1990-1993, and then a member of the Punjab Assembly in 1993, when he held the position of Leader of the opposition until 1996.
Sharif also served as the prime minister of Punjab, Pakistan’s richest and most populous state, for three non-consecutive terms; The first was in 1997, during which he made significant infrastructure improvements in the region; This made him the longest serving president until his party’s election defeat in 2018, which brought Imran Khan to power, and Sharif has since led the opposition.
His career also included years of self-exile in Saudi Arabia under an agreement with the military government after a military coup toppled his brother’s government in 1999 and he faced money laundering charges. In September 2020, Shahbaz Sharif was arrested by the Pakistan National Accountability Office for laundering more than 7,328 million rupees (about $40 million) in a scheme involving close associates and family members, but was later released on bail.
3- Good relations with the Pakistani army institution: Unlike his brother, Shahbaz Sharif has good relations with the Pakistani army, which is according to many estimates the most powerful institution in the country, which traditionally controls foreign and defense policy in Pakistan, and which has overthrown a number of Elected civilian governments, including the governments of his brother “Nawaz Sharif” due to internal differences between him and the army.
But in 2018, Sharif worked to mend his relations with the military, which he declared ahead of the elections: “Where the military leadership must be consulted, we will consult them.” He added that he would work with the military on key aspects of foreign policy, such as relations with Afghanistan. and India.
In sum, the Pakistani people and the international community are counting on Shahbaz Sharif to restore foreign policy files, which Sharif has been trying to prove since assuming the premiership of Pakistan, by emphasizing the urgent need for more international cooperation, and the role that it can play. his country in order to prevent the world from slipping into a deeper set of international crises. However, it is worth noting that the political situation in Pakistan is intertwined with domestic and international dimensions. It is not possible to look at the effectiveness and feasibility of Shahbaz Sharif’s vision in the foreign policy file without examining the burning internal variables, most notably Imran Khan’s tireless efforts to thwart Sharif’s efforts and employ the corruption accusations that pursue him.
