巴基斯坦文章：抛开中国？

巴基斯坦抛开中国？
作者：Ahmed Quraishi

　　巴基斯坦几个月来没有一位驻北京大使，这可是破天荒第一次，很古怪。吉拉尼（Gilani）政府首先任命驻华盛顿和伦敦的大使。这想来是可以理解的。巴基斯坦目前的政府之所以可能存在，只是因为一个政治谅解（伊斯兰堡通常称之为一个“协议”）——华盛顿和伦敦与日益衰弱的穆沙拉夫斡旋的政治谅解。

　　但中国如何从吉拉尼政府的重点清单滑落，我们可以从28日上海合作组织峰会的与会情况衡量。这是中国与俄罗斯主导的组织，被视为美国在我们地区的影响力的抗衡物。对这届政府而言，这是第一次涉及中国的重大外交政策接触。吉拉尼政府没有一位高级政治家代表巴基斯坦与会。吉拉尼总理已经决定，鉴于我们紧迫的国内政治形势，总理的国家安全顾问（一位前驻华盛顿大使）将代表伊斯兰堡出席。这将是巴基斯坦自上合组织2001年成立以来与会者级别最低的一次。但北京强烈主张让巴基斯坦成为正式成员，而且莫斯科也比以往任何时候更倾向支持，抛开了印度的敏感。

　　鉴于华盛顿在该地区的影响力让我们受苦，你会以为我们会对本周的上合组织峰会表现出更多的热情。但情况并非如此。有趣的是，过去四个月的一些事件已经在巴基斯坦的汉学家当中引发忧虑。这种忧虑还没有转化为惊慌，至少目前还没有转化。

　　几个月前，我们的外交办公室所赞助的一个智库的前负责人马扎里（Shireen Mazari）报告说，我们的高级外交官接到吉拉尼政府一位著名的、身处华盛顿的人物的口头“指示”，停止过多关注中国，开始接触印度和美国等国家的新政策。这可能是个人意见或者是一种泛泛的政策评论，而且所有的当选政府都有权审视政策。但就中国的情况而言，我们最近积累了几个坏例子，显示这个主题值得特别讨论。

　　在4月，当奥运火炬经过伊斯兰堡，总理吉拉尼避免参加火炬传递的仪式，借口总统穆沙拉夫参加了。考虑到国际奥委会的西方成员如何拒绝把巴基斯坦包含在火炬传递路线之内，以及北京如何坚持囊括伊斯兰堡，4月16日的事件无疑是优先次序失衡的可怕表现。而且在8月8日，由于巴基斯坦的政治，巴基斯坦总统参加中国本世纪最重要盛会的计划遭到破坏。可以肯定，当我们派一个被普遍视为不愿当傀儡的总理前往北京，这不会给我们的中国朋友留下深刻印象。这无法给人留下我们很重视中国的重要事件的印象。总体而言，如果有人说今年不是中巴关系的好年头，这也是可理解的。

　　当发生这样的事情，吉拉尼政府的要人必须消除人们的怀疑。毕竟，政府表现出很大的热情关注与美国关系。华盛顿是总理吉拉尼首个真正外交接触的对象。你可以忽略沙特访问之旅。那只有一个议程：便宜的石油。继任命上任驻华盛顿大使为总理国家安全顾问之后，政府兴致勃勃地起用一个“美国迷”当我们的驻华盛顿大使。这是一个带有很重的美国味道的政府。那没关系，毕竟那对伊斯兰堡而言是一种重要的关系。但在这个进程中，不应该让中国靠边站。

原文：

Pakistan Ditching China?



The new Pakistani government is not thrilled about the country’s longtime ally, China. Prime Minister Gilani has decided to downgrade Pakistani representation in this week’s Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. And our ambassador in Washington, a known ‘American enthusiast’, has given verbal instructions to Pakistani Foreign Office to lessen its fixation on China and focus more on India. His government undermined Pakistani participation in Beijing Olympics twice in the last four months. And we are still without a Pakistani ambassador in Beijing while our London and Washington embassies are run by strong supporters of Washington and London.



By AHMED QURAISHI         

Tuesday, 26 August 2008.

WWW.AHMEDQURAISHI.COM


ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—This is the first time that Pakistan does not have an ambassador in Beijing for several months now, which is an oddity. Washington and London were the first capitals where the Gilani government appointed ambassadors. That is supposedly understandable. The current government in Pakistan was possible only because of a political understanding – widely referred to in Islamabad as a ‘deal – which both capitals brokered with a weak and fading Mr. Musharraf.



But how China has slipped from the list of priorities of the Gilani government can be gauged from our expected participation this week in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit on Aug. 28. This is a Chinese and Russian dominated organization seen as a counterweight to U.S. influence in our region. In this first major foreign policy engagement for this government involving China, no senior politician from the Gilani administration will be representing Pakistan. Prime Minister Gilani has decided that, due to our pressing internal political situation, the advisor to the prime minister for national security – a former ambassador to Washington – will instead represent Islamabad. This will be the lowest Pakistani participation in SCO since its formation in 2001. It is true that Pakistan is still not a full member of the SCO. But Beijing is strongly advocating full membership for Islamabad and Moscow is more favorably inclined to go along than at any other time, putting aside Indian sensitivities.



Given how we are suffering from Washington’s destabilizing influence in our neighborhood, you would think we would have shown more enthusiasm for this week’s SCO summit. But this is not the case. What is interesting is that this attitude comes at the heel of several events in the past four months that have generated some concern among Pakistani Sinologists. This is a concern that has not turned to panic, not yet at least.



A couple of months ago, Dr. Shireen Mazari, a former head of a think tank funded by our Foreign Office, reported that our top diplomats received verbal ‘guidance’ from a well known Washington-based figure in the Gilani government to stop focusing too much on China and start a new policy of engagement with countries such as India and the United States.  This could be a personal opinion or a general policy observation, and all elected governments have the right to review policies. But in China’s case, we have accumulated several bad examples recently that the subject merits a special discussion.



In April, a fresh Prime Minister Gilani refused to attend the Olympic Torch Relay ceremony as the torch passed through Islamabad on the pretext that President Musharraf was also attending.



Considering how western members of the International Olympic Committee refused to include Pakistan in the torch route and how Beijing stuck to Islamabad, the Apr. 16 incident in the Pakistani capital was certainly a ghastly show of lopsided priorities.



And then on Aug. 8, Pakistan’s participation at the level of President in China’s most important event of the century was scuttled because of Pakistani politics. You can be certain that our Chinese friends were not very impressed when we sent to Beijing a prime minister widely seen as ‘remote-controlled’ – as opposed to a ‘puppet’ – along with the teenage chairman of the ruling party. It didn’t quite give the impression that we attached a lot of importance to an important event for China. Overall, it would be an understatement to say that this has not been a good year so far for Sino-Pakistani ties.



The principals of the Gilani government must excuse the skeptics when things like this happen. After all, the government has shown a lot of enthusiasm in focusing on ties with the United States. Washington was the first real foreign engagement for Prime Minister Gilani. You can discount the Saudi visit. That was limited to a one-point agenda: Cheap oil. Certainly the government has shown a lot of interest in hiring the services of an ‘American enthusiast’ to be our ambassador in Washington, followed by appointing the last serving ambassador there as the new national security advisor to the prime minister.



This is a government tinged with a heavy American dose. That is fine since this is an important relationship for Islamabad. But in the process, China should not be sidelined.巴基斯坦抛开中国？
作者：Ahmed Quraishi

　　巴基斯坦几个月来没有一位驻北京大使，这可是破天荒第一次，很古怪。吉拉尼（Gilani）政府首先任命驻华盛顿和伦敦的大使。这想来是可以理解的。巴基斯坦目前的政府之所以可能存在，只是因为一个政治谅解（伊斯兰堡通常称之为一个“协议”）——华盛顿和伦敦与日益衰弱的穆沙拉夫斡旋的政治谅解。

　　但中国如何从吉拉尼政府的重点清单滑落，我们可以从28日上海合作组织峰会的与会情况衡量。这是中国与俄罗斯主导的组织，被视为美国在我们地区的影响力的抗衡物。对这届政府而言，这是第一次涉及中国的重大外交政策接触。吉拉尼政府没有一位高级政治家代表巴基斯坦与会。吉拉尼总理已经决定，鉴于我们紧迫的国内政治形势，总理的国家安全顾问（一位前驻华盛顿大使）将代表伊斯兰堡出席。这将是巴基斯坦自上合组织2001年成立以来与会者级别最低的一次。但北京强烈主张让巴基斯坦成为正式成员，而且莫斯科也比以往任何时候更倾向支持，抛开了印度的敏感。

　　鉴于华盛顿在该地区的影响力让我们受苦，你会以为我们会对本周的上合组织峰会表现出更多的热情。但情况并非如此。有趣的是，过去四个月的一些事件已经在巴基斯坦的汉学家当中引发忧虑。这种忧虑还没有转化为惊慌，至少目前还没有转化。

　　几个月前，我们的外交办公室所赞助的一个智库的前负责人马扎里（Shireen Mazari）报告说，我们的高级外交官接到吉拉尼政府一位著名的、身处华盛顿的人物的口头“指示”，停止过多关注中国，开始接触印度和美国等国家的新政策。这可能是个人意见或者是一种泛泛的政策评论，而且所有的当选政府都有权审视政策。但就中国的情况而言，我们最近积累了几个坏例子，显示这个主题值得特别讨论。

　　在4月，当奥运火炬经过伊斯兰堡，总理吉拉尼避免参加火炬传递的仪式，借口总统穆沙拉夫参加了。考虑到国际奥委会的西方成员如何拒绝把巴基斯坦包含在火炬传递路线之内，以及北京如何坚持囊括伊斯兰堡，4月16日的事件无疑是优先次序失衡的可怕表现。而且在8月8日，由于巴基斯坦的政治，巴基斯坦总统参加中国本世纪最重要盛会的计划遭到破坏。可以肯定，当我们派一个被普遍视为不愿当傀儡的总理前往北京，这不会给我们的中国朋友留下深刻印象。这无法给人留下我们很重视中国的重要事件的印象。总体而言，如果有人说今年不是中巴关系的好年头，这也是可理解的。

　　当发生这样的事情，吉拉尼政府的要人必须消除人们的怀疑。毕竟，政府表现出很大的热情关注与美国关系。华盛顿是总理吉拉尼首个真正外交接触的对象。你可以忽略沙特访问之旅。那只有一个议程：便宜的石油。继任命上任驻华盛顿大使为总理国家安全顾问之后，政府兴致勃勃地起用一个“美国迷”当我们的驻华盛顿大使。这是一个带有很重的美国味道的政府。那没关系，毕竟那对伊斯兰堡而言是一种重要的关系。但在这个进程中，不应该让中国靠边站。

原文：

Pakistan Ditching China?



The new Pakistani government is not thrilled about the country’s longtime ally, China. Prime Minister Gilani has decided to downgrade Pakistani representation in this week’s Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. And our ambassador in Washington, a known ‘American enthusiast’, has given verbal instructions to Pakistani Foreign Office to lessen its fixation on China and focus more on India. His government undermined Pakistani participation in Beijing Olympics twice in the last four months. And we are still without a Pakistani ambassador in Beijing while our London and Washington embassies are run by strong supporters of Washington and London.



By AHMED QURAISHI         

Tuesday, 26 August 2008.

WWW.AHMEDQURAISHI.COM


ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—This is the first time that Pakistan does not have an ambassador in Beijing for several months now, which is an oddity. Washington and London were the first capitals where the Gilani government appointed ambassadors. That is supposedly understandable. The current government in Pakistan was possible only because of a political understanding – widely referred to in Islamabad as a ‘deal – which both capitals brokered with a weak and fading Mr. Musharraf.



But how China has slipped from the list of priorities of the Gilani government can be gauged from our expected participation this week in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit on Aug. 28. This is a Chinese and Russian dominated organization seen as a counterweight to U.S. influence in our region. In this first major foreign policy engagement for this government involving China, no senior politician from the Gilani administration will be representing Pakistan. Prime Minister Gilani has decided that, due to our pressing internal political situation, the advisor to the prime minister for national security – a former ambassador to Washington – will instead represent Islamabad. This will be the lowest Pakistani participation in SCO since its formation in 2001. It is true that Pakistan is still not a full member of the SCO. But Beijing is strongly advocating full membership for Islamabad and Moscow is more favorably inclined to go along than at any other time, putting aside Indian sensitivities.



Given how we are suffering from Washington’s destabilizing influence in our neighborhood, you would think we would have shown more enthusiasm for this week’s SCO summit. But this is not the case. What is interesting is that this attitude comes at the heel of several events in the past four months that have generated some concern among Pakistani Sinologists. This is a concern that has not turned to panic, not yet at least.



A couple of months ago, Dr. Shireen Mazari, a former head of a think tank funded by our Foreign Office, reported that our top diplomats received verbal ‘guidance’ from a well known Washington-based figure in the Gilani government to stop focusing too much on China and start a new policy of engagement with countries such as India and the United States.  This could be a personal opinion or a general policy observation, and all elected governments have the right to review policies. But in China’s case, we have accumulated several bad examples recently that the subject merits a special discussion.



In April, a fresh Prime Minister Gilani refused to attend the Olympic Torch Relay ceremony as the torch passed through Islamabad on the pretext that President Musharraf was also attending.



Considering how western members of the International Olympic Committee refused to include Pakistan in the torch route and how Beijing stuck to Islamabad, the Apr. 16 incident in the Pakistani capital was certainly a ghastly show of lopsided priorities.



And then on Aug. 8, Pakistan’s participation at the level of President in China’s most important event of the century was scuttled because of Pakistani politics. You can be certain that our Chinese friends were not very impressed when we sent to Beijing a prime minister widely seen as ‘remote-controlled’ – as opposed to a ‘puppet’ – along with the teenage chairman of the ruling party. It didn’t quite give the impression that we attached a lot of importance to an important event for China. Overall, it would be an understatement to say that this has not been a good year so far for Sino-Pakistani ties.



The principals of the Gilani government must excuse the skeptics when things like this happen. After all, the government has shown a lot of enthusiasm in focusing on ties with the United States. Washington was the first real foreign engagement for Prime Minister Gilani. You can discount the Saudi visit. That was limited to a one-point agenda: Cheap oil. Certainly the government has shown a lot of interest in hiring the services of an ‘American enthusiast’ to be our ambassador in Washington, followed by appointing the last serving ambassador there as the new national security advisor to the prime minister.



This is a government tinged with a heavy American dose. That is fine since this is an important relationship for Islamabad. But in the process, China should not be sidelined.