SPOTLIGHT
PAKISTAN
FOREIGN POLICY CONSIDERATIONS OF THE IMRAN KHAN GOVERNMENT
BY SARRAL SHARMA *
If judged by his inaugural address on 19 August 2018, Pakistan ' s newly elected Prime Minister Imran Khan is likely to focus more on domestic issues to fulfil his election promises. This is despite the fact that the country faces international isolation and multi-pronged foreign policy challenges.
Whether it is repairing deteriorating relations with the United States( US), emboldening ties with China or managing tensions with India and Afghanistan, Khan’ s ability to steer foreign policy will depend on his relations with the country ' s powerful military establishment which has historically set Islamabad ' s course on international and regional affairs. Therefore, we will not see any major differences between the Khan government ' s foreign policy priorities and that of the previous Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz( PML-N) dispensation.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf( PTI) government has taken power amid a complex geopolitical environment: the US is getting desperate to get out of Afghanistan; Iran ' s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action( JCPOA) quagmire; persistent instability in the Middleeast region; China ' s growing economic footprints across the region; placement of Pakistan on the Financial Action Task Force ' s( FATF) ' grey ' list, among others.
Khan ' s government will find it difficult to deal with these complex foreign policy issues
28 • Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 6 • Issue 9 • September 2018, Noida