Reprimanding envoys: Is it a political move? Shafaqna Exclusive

by Tauqeer Abbas
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A day after Prime Minister Imran Khan publically castigated Pakistani missions abroad, there is an uproar in the Foreign Office with many diplomats lodged a strong protest with the foreign minister and foreign secretary for “scapegoating” them. Sources confirmed that Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday held more than two hours long meeting with senior officials at the Foreign Office after they expressed reservations over the premier’s public criticism.

In an unusual move, PM Imran on Wednesday expressed his displeasure over an “indifferent attitude and unnecessary delays in routine services” by Pakistani embassies, particularly in the Middle East. His criticism stemmed from the recent incidents took place at Pakistani embassy in Saudi Arabia that prompted the prime minister not only to suspend the ambassador but also ordered an inquiry.

He also referred back to the much-publicised bribery scandal that caused a big shake-up at the embassy in Saudi Arabia. In many of the incidents reported to the government, the victims were labourers from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. This may explain why at least some embassy staffers were so keen to ‘lean’ on them. Like many ‘babus’, they think they are the public’s masters rather than public employees. This attitude only worsens when obnoxious babus interact with poor people.

We must also remind them that none of Pakistan’s embassies or consulates are net income generators, which means that the same labourers that the diplomats are mistreating are the ones paying their salaries. The PM noted that instead of serving Pakistanis abroad, ambassadors and their staff appeared to be behaving the way Raj-era British officials behaved with the local populace.

Ex-foreign secretary Salman Bashir said the criticism was misplaced and that public critique “demoralises the best and brightest”. Former US envoy Jalil Abbas Jilani, too, said it was unfair. Though they protested against the public criticism, they all acknowledged long-standing issues and flaws. Why did Mr Khan feel it was important to broadcast this admonition? Is it a political move to win the electoral support of 9m overseas Pakistanis, after the PTI has lost a string of by-elections?

A public telling-off will demoralise an already under-fire Foreign Office — which is the only institution that is professionally trained to tackle the country’s foreign policy matters. There are certainly better ways to improve embassies’ public service delivery. Unprofessionalism is unacceptable. It is also deplorable that some officers in the foreign service ignore the requests of expats from low-income and working-class backgrounds. Shockingly, there are even reports of officers asking for bribes to process paperwork.All these problems must be addressed, but grandstanding is not the solution. There are systemic issues that need to be fixed when it comes to consular services, which often face acute resource constraints. Staff appointed to these missions must be trained, selected and motivated.

Shafaqna Pakistan

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