Khalilzad’s Outburst

Zalmay Khalilzad, known in the inner cortex of his Republican Party as king Zal, has no love lost for Pakistan yet his diatribe has something of an extra sting of a jilted lover. He evinced his concerns about the deepening triple crisis in Pakistan: economic, political and security that has rendered Pakistan unstable, poorer and less secure. He stated that Pakistan’s state institutions including the judiciary and the military were becoming internally politicised and if the country continues on this course, it would be a tragedy for Pakistan and its people as economic activity will stall, poverty will increase and civil unrest will disrupt daily life. Though Zalmay Khalilzad is a consummate diplomat keenly aware about the nuances of diplomatic behaviour but he completely ignored that the timing of his comments would be taken as an attempt at partisanship and that it was imperative for him to keep his opinion to himself at this particular juncture. It was quite natural that he was asked about his support for Imran Khan but he took pains to clarify that his tweets were principally motivated by concerns for Pakistan as a whole and the damage that the triple crises is doing to the country. The Weekender