A RECENT meeting of the Public Accounts Committee, called to examine the affairs of the foreign ministry, ended up discussing national sovereignty, and the apparent interference of powerful foreign actors in Pakistan`s internal affairs. In particular, the need to complete the IranPakistan gas pipeline was stressed. PAC chairman Noor Alam Khan observed that Pakistan was free to do business with Russia, China or any other state, while Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed criticised Western states for their `double standards` where Pakistan was concerned. The fact that Pakistan paid for its recent shipment of Russian crude in Chinese yuan was highlighted, while it was also mentioned that the US did not look favourably upon the multibillion-dollar CPEC scheme. Furthermore, the PAC members observed that Pakistan could face a hefty penalty should it fail to build the pipeline designed to import Iranian gas.

Whether it is completing the Iran gas pipeline, or smoothly implementing CPEC projects, Pakistan must do what is in its best interest. And securing national interest lies in honouring commitments to foreign partners, and ensuring that these deals are transparent and politically and economically propitious. No sovereign state should accept foreign meddling in its internal affairs, and in its dealings with other states. However, sovereignty is severely compromised when our economy is gasping for air, and our high officials have to supplicate foreign capitals and multilateral lenders in order to avert financial collapse. Therefore, to resist external interference, the broken economy must be fixed, so that Pakistan can withstand pressure and take decisions purely in its national interest. Moreover, some lawmakers mentioned at the PAC meeting that the West was limiting Pakistan in its dealings, yet allowing India to buy oil and arms from a sanctioned Russia.

This primarily reflects a f ailure of our foreign policy, which is again linked to our floundering economy. A financially stable Pakistan must have the diplomatic skills to tell our friends in the West and East that this country is free to trade and establish ties with whomsoever it wants. Though this is indeed a delicate balancing act, consummate diplomacy can ensure a truly independent and beneficial foreign policy. Moreover, instead of searching only for lucrative markets thousands of miles away which is also important more focus is needed on trading with neighbours such as Iran, India, Afghanistan and the Central Asian states.