Amidst the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the decision by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to visit Moscow has been termed ‘ill-timed’ and ‘foolhardy’.
Terming it ‘bad diplomacy’, Federico Giuliani, writing for ‘Inside Over’ said that getting cozy with Putin is especially bad when Khan is facing a no-confidence motion and is in dire need of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans. Calling the visit ‘badly timed’ for taking place during the Ukraine crisis, the article highlights that no major deal has been promised, nor there is a chance of Pakistan being able to secure a loan from the Russians.
The domestic audience in Pakistan has been told that the visit is a ‘successful’ attempt to wean Russia away from India. However, any notion of India and Russia falling apart is ‘foolish’, when India is a major buyer of defense equipment and can offer more business to Russia than Pakistan can, the article further argued.
Imran Khan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday amid the ongoing crisis at the Ukraine-Russia border.
Khan’s ill-timed two-day visit, the first such trip by a Pakistani PM in 23 years, also aims to push for the construction of a long-delayed, multi-billion-dollar gas pipeline to be built in collaboration with Russian companies.
Pakistani security experts doubt if Khan has gone to Moscow with any strategy in mind. He has been urged to “be careful” while dealing with Putin as the Russian retains ‘high regard for India and Modi as a leader.’