Pakistan is grappling with economic difficulties including dwindling forex reserves, high inflation and sharp depreciation of its currency. It is rolling out higher taxes to get the IMF bailout package…reports Asian Lite News
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that Pakistan’s future will be largely determined by its own actions and choices and it is for the neighbouring country to find a way out of its economic troubles.
The minister referred to India’s assistance to Sri Lanka during the economic crisis faced by the island country and said it is a very different relationship. “I think Pakistan’s future is largely determined by Pakistan’s actions and by Pakistan’s choices. Nobody reaches a difficult situation suddenly and without cause. It is for them to find a way out. Our relationship today is not one where we can be relevant directly to that process,” Jaishankar said in response to queries on Pakistan.
Pakistan is grappling with economic difficulties including dwindling forex reserves, high inflation and sharp depreciation of its currency. It is rolling out higher taxes to get the IMF bailout package.
“If I were, for example, to compare it to Sri Lanka, it is a very different relationship. With Sri Lanka still, there is a lot of goodwill in this country. There is naturally neighbours’ concerns and worry but there is also a feeling look we have to help them to get through this. Tomorrow if something happens to some other neighbours that would be the case as well. But you know what the sentiment is there in the country for Pakistan,” Jaishankar said.
‘Gulf nations see today’s India as much more credible’
With India making rapid progress in its ties with the Gulf countries, Jaishankar on Tuesday said that the countries of the region see India as much more credible compared to the situation ten years back and they will prefer Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his predecessors in terms of growth of ties.
Jaishankar said boost in ties with the Gulf countries was among of big changes in the foreign policy domain. “If you were to ask me in ten years give me three examples of some big changes that happened in our policy, I would certainly put the changed relationship with Gulf, very, very high up there on the list,” Jaishankar said in response to the queries.
In an apparent dig at Congress, he said foreign policy should not be dictated by “vote bank mentality”
“There is a big community out there. The rest of it was like a distant goodwill which you needed for your political vote bank calculations. I think when you got a different government, which said we actually want something deeper, more strategic with full elements or full spectrum relationship, we have the ability today to deliver on lot of issues…. One of the reasons why the Gulf looks at us, the Gulf sees today’s India as much more credible than India of 10 years ago,” he added.
‘We are an exceptional international power’
Highlighting India’s growing stature on the global stage, Jaishankar said that “we are an exceptional international power.”
“We have been able to very clearly demonstrate to the world that we are exceptional international power, meaning we are willing to do things for others, perhaps more than most of the countries are at this point of time.” Speaking on big global issues, he said, “We have been able to demonstrate to the world that we are an exceptional international power. If you look today India’s global standing is clearly very much higher and quite strong. Strategically, there’s much more clarity in our own thinking and operations,” he said.
He underscored the importance of ‘Vaccine Maitri’ initiative and said, “If you ask me a single thing that we have done in the last ten years which has shaped global views about India, it is ‘Vaccine Maitri.'”
He also talked about India partnering in groupings like QUAD and others, he said, “India is going up, it’s going well….Why do we have so many partnerships? Because we get along with so many people. How we are to manage different partnerships? Maybe because we are good at it.”
Speaking on China, he said, “India’s relationship with major powers is good. China is an exception because it violated agreements that we’ve had and has a posture at the border and as a result we have a counter posture. Overall India’s relationship with major powers is good. Relationship with Europe is the best ever we had.”
He also gave an example of India’s relationship with Russia, saying, “Our relationship with Russia has been extraordinarily steady and it has been steady through all the turbulence in global politics.”
He also lauded the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, under whom India’s stature on the global stage has increased manifold.