Pakistan's shuttle diplomacy to ease tensions between Iran and the United States comes at a critical moment. Any effort to prevent escalation and broker peace is welcome.
Yet for Pakistan’s current leadership, this diplomatic activism serves another, more domestic purpose: it offers a much-needed lifeline to generate external legitimacy at a time when a large majority of Pakistanis view them as corrupt, illegitimate, and increasingly authoritarian.
If only the Pakistani regime had invested the same amount of time in building strong institutions, addressing electricity shortfalls, creating a favorable investment climate, and generating honest tax revenues, Pakistan would be far better off today, instead of desperately looking for foreign dole-outs and bailouts.
Instead, unfortunately for the people of Pakistan, it has invested far more energy in locking up political prisoners, persecuting pro-democracy activists, undermining civilian institutions, and similar repressive measures. It doesn’t matter how many shuttle missions it undertakes, that sad reality remains.