Absence From KLS.

The refusal of Pakistan to attend the fifth Kuala Lumpur Summit (KLS) after confirming their attendance is being witnessed as a great diplomacy failure on part of Pakistan and the team of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan. Despite the chain of problems within the Muslim World, Pakistan was well aware of the dynamics of the situation, which should have been factored in while trying to bridge the gap between Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. The position Pakistan has adopted right now takes away its autonomy and brings it right back to following the same foreign policy as that during the cold war - one of complete dictation by those who hold leverage over countries in need of assistance.

In this particular case as well, despite both Malaysia and Pakistan reaffirming that the KLS is not an alternative to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Saudis strictly warned Pakistan against participation and holding off the aid that is being offered. This puts Pakistan in a weak position - one that the country cannot diplomatically afford. Moving forward into the new era, Pakistan needs to have a foreign policy independent of foreign demands because the current situation ended up upsetting not just Malaysia and Turkey as well and taking away Pakistan's right...