An Important Speech.

On Thursday, in his first major foreign policy speech since taking office at the end of April, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari advocated for the case for trade and engagement with other countries, especially India and the US, and observed that Pakistan finds itself isolated on the world stage due to its policies in the past. This diagnosis of FM Bhutto is not incorrect, however it is important to add some caveats to this considering the complexities in play.

During his speech, FM Bhutto particularly identified India and the US as countries with which Pakistan's relations have been problematic. As far as DC is concerned, already strained ties hit rock bottom when the now-ousted PTI government falsely accused the US of collaborating with the opposition parties to remove it from office. This of course has meant the incoming government and new staff at the foreign office has had to conduct a reparation drive to mend relationships and give assurances to key allies.

The equation with New Delhi is very different however. Prior to 2014, there may have been instances where Islamabad could have sought more normalised ties, but the avenues for cooperation and dialogue have been on the decline since Narendra Modi became PM. The events in Kashmir since August 2019 and subsequent escalation of anti-Muslim tendencies in the country have...