New Delhi: The political chaos in Pakistan is something the world is keeping an eye on, given that in the past, its domestic stability or a lack of it, has often had consequences for the larger South Asian region and the world.
On Wednesday, Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government lost its majority in the National Assembly, the lower house of the country’s parliament, just days ahead of a no-confidence motion against the PM. This came after a key coalition partner, Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM), struck a deal with the opposition Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
The world’s concerns over the political situation could be best summed up by former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who passed away last week — she had once referred to the country as an “international migraine”.
Albright, who served as America’s first female Secretary of State and went on to become one of the most influential stateswomen of her time, died at the age of 84 on 23 March.
‘Terror, extremism, corruption, poverty’
Her comments, made in 2008, came in the wake of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
“My own sense is Pakistan has everything that gives you an international migraine. It has nuclear weapons, it has terrorism, extremists, corruption, very poor and it’s in a location that’s really, really important to us. And now with this issue with India,” Albright was quoted as saying in December 2008.
“I also do think that the next President and the secretary of state are going to have to pay a great deal of attention to that combination of issues, Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, that all fit together. That’s very important to the US,” she had said, referring to the Barack Obama administration, which was set to take office in January 2009.
Albright had made similar observations about her perception of Islamabad while delivering a lecture in New Delhi in 2013.
“Pakistan continues to be an international migraine. It has poverty, extremism, issues of nuclear non-proliferation and a weak government. It needs to learn how to deal with extremism and the issue of nuclear non-proliferation. The US is in a difficult situation to resolve this. It is central to many problems,” she had said.
Albright, who had served as Secretary of State under Bill Clinton’s administration, suggested that India can resolve the “migraine”.
Also read: Madeleine Albright, first female US secretary of state, dies at 84