Daily Times
July 7, 2021
A single irresponsible statement by any public office holder can cause unimaginable damage to a country and its interests. This is especially true if that public office holder is the chief executive of the country. Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent remarks about Pakistan’s diplomats was one such statement.
In the recently held virtual meeting with Pakistan’s diplomats and envoys in different countries, the prime minister chided them publicly for not having the best interests of overseas Pakistanis at heart.
This one act has caused irreparable damage to the morale of diplomats and undermined all their services to Pakistan and its citizens overseas. The prime minister went as far as comparing Pakistani diplomats with those from India and praising the latter for working far better. I am not arguing that criticism should not be levelled where it is due. However, any criticism must be cognizant of ground realities and constructive in nature.