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Autumn in the capital: By M Saeed Khalid in The News, December 04, 2016

If you have not heard words like terrific, great, exceptional, amazing and “will love to visit” about Pakistan and its people in a long time, that is understandable. But all these and other equally nice things were expressed by PEOTUS (President-Elect of the United States) who was completely bowled over by the phone call from PMIRP (Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan) the other day.

The two reportedly got along superbly – as two business tycoons turned successful politicians should. Imagine the hilarious conversation the two of them would have on how to lead unsuspecting millions down the garden path.

However, there is one big hurdle in the one-on-one bonhomie between the soon to be POTUS and the PMIRP. That is none other than the one and only WCWTC (World Cup Winning Team Captain) who came forward instantly to claim that the summit meeting could not happen as the current PMIRP must soon return to the pavilion. The implication being that the WCWTC would be the one to exchange views with POTUS on how to become a successful top leader and statesman without having held public office for a single day.

One should not be too harsh on Pakistan’s most celebrated athlete turned highly successful fund-raiser and political leader because many bright sparks have been lured away by his promise of “I will fix it”. Some more could follow calls in Kaptaan’s favour. It is difficult to overlook though that the PTI supremo is better at inventing catch phrases than extending his popularity to the heartlands that hold the largest vote bank in the country. Remember ‘tsunami’, ‘dhandli’ and ‘umpire ki ungli’? Well, that vocabulary has given place to ‘talashi’ without showing the slightest respect to the need of refraining from boasting about matters sub judice.

As autumn sets in, the capital is aglow with magnificent hues of various kinds of leaves, reminding the residents that Islamabad still merits its title of ‘the beautiful’ even if for a few weeks. The change of season was also marked by other happenings. The newspapers vied for the best headlines and pictures to announce the change of guard at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. Had any British general at the time foreseen that that the military structures built to conduct wars against Afghan kings and tribal chiefs along the border would become the headquarter of another great army playing a key role in another version of the Great Game?

Gen Raheel Sharif did not mince words when he claimed to have been proud of serving the world’s greatest army. Considering that Britain, France and the US are great maritime and air powers, relegating their armies to a lower rung, that still leaves countries like China and Russia to claim that their armies are no less. Whether the Pak Army is the greatest may be an optimistic statement imbued with nationalism, it is undoubtedly one of the great armies and Gen Raheel was a great chief. His greatness was decisively etched in stone when he handed over command to Gen Qamar Bajwa, not a day later than required. Thank you Raheel Sharif, for fulfilling your promise to the nation that you will not seek extension, despite calls from elements we no longer need to name.

By last Sunday, it had become clear that the change of command in the army would take place on November 29. Just as that realisation gathered attention, Islamabad’s society headed for the city’s fun packed annual charity event organised by the Foreign Office Women’s Association. The PFOWA bazaar has been one of those events which bring joie de vivre and the spirit of charity together in a culturally arid zone. The 2016 edition was probably one of the most remarkable as it brought together hundreds of families in an upbeat mood to make them forget that Pakistan is still portrayed by some of our ‘allies’ as a dangerous country, meriting little more than revising dark travel advisories from time to time.

First Lady Begum Mamnoon Hussain having come and gone after inaugurating the bazaar, the per square metre presence of VIPs had also thinned by the time I managed to reach the Foreign Office. Walking through what is normally the vast parking area but transformed for a day into rows of colourful stalls with tempting wares from Pakistan and all over the world, I reached the plum that is the venue of the parade of nations and the cultural show.

The ambassador of our all-weather friend was still there to applaud the Chinese troupe that was holding a large audience enthralled with beautiful Chinese songs and dances to climax with ‘jeeway Pakistan’. At that point, cultural diplomacy got into high gear as the soprano of the last item invited everybody to join in the dance. The Chinese ambassador was soon accompanied by other envoys and the foreign secretary in a growing circle of participants. Missing from the scene were the ‘do more’ friends.

Back to the stalls, it was evident that among the large number of nations joining in PFOWA’s fundraiser, China and Russia were the only P-5 members to set up stalls. The three Western members of the P-5, the US, the UK and France were conspicuous by their absence. A minor sign of realignment in global partnerships? Indian embassy women who were seen every year with their saris, displaying alluring home textiles, were missing too. New Delhi’s new regulation to withdraw all Indian children from Islamabad’s schools had led to the return of most embassy wives to India.

Cultural diplomacy is important but it is hard to focus on art and culture when mainstream diplomatic interaction between Pakistan and India has reached an impasse. In fact cultural and sports links have suffered enormously from political mood swings. There may, however, be a silver lining. As Prime Minister Modi sits in Lok Sabha with a shocked look, with the opposition blazing its guns against his adventure of demonetisation, he might think of doing something different in foreign relations. He can bring down tensions with Pakistan by showing some accommodation during the Heart of Asia meeting in Amritsar.

Modi’s persistence in refusing to de-escalate confrontation along the LoC would mean that hardliners on both sides will maintain their ascendancy in the period ahead.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/169631-Autumn-in-the-capital

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