Ex-Foreign Service Officials Term PM Imran’s Remarks On Pakistan’s Embassies Unwarranted
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s public rebuking of Pakistan’s embassies and working of the Foreign Office abroad has led to a sense of resentment among serving and former members of the foreign service of Pakistan who term the criticism unfair.
Three ex-foreign secretaries criticised the PM’s remarks. Former foreign secretary and envoy to the US Jalil Abbas Jilani, Tehmina Janjua and Salman Bashir reacted to the development and said that the PM’s comments were unwarranted.
Ambassador Jilani said that the country faces decades of neglect, political paralysis and resource constraints. “What is needed now is a renewal of diplomatic capacity, resources, appreciation and an effort that balances ambition with growing difficulties at home and abroad,” he said.
FSP suffers from decades of neglect, political paralysis,and resource constraints.What is needed now is a renewal of diplomatic capacity, resources,appreciation and an effort that balances ambition with limits of the possible at a moment of growing difficulties at home and abroad https://t.co/FtmVSQnrer
— Jalil Abbas Jilani (@JalilJilani) May 5, 2021
Tehmina Janjua said that there seemed to be woefully inadequate understanding of the embassies’ consular work.
Deeply dismayed at the unwarranted criticism of the Foreign Ministry. There seems to be woefully inadequate understanding of Embassies’ consular work, the acute resource constraints, and the role of multiple departments which not under the control of Ambassadors.
— Tehmina Janjua (@TehminaJanjua) May 5, 2021
Salman Bashir also termed the PM’s criticism ‘misplaced’.
Sir respectfully, your ire and critique of Foreign Ministry and Envoys is misplaced. Usual services to the community are essentially in the domain of other departments that handle passports, nicop, consular attestation etc. Yes the missions should keep their doors open. https://t.co/mMJuvY9j1J
— Salman Bashir (@Salman_B_PK) May 5, 2021
Senator Sherry Rehman, who served as Pakistan’s ambassador to the US in 2012-2013, echoed the sentiment.
Foreign Service is in no position to generate trade on it’s own.Yes it can provide better consular services at some missions, but publicly telling off all ambassadors is never done. In key embassies they work round the clock with meagre resources; demotivating them is not a thing https://t.co/LG48il3YU0
— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) May 6, 2021