AZIZ VISIT A MODEST SUCCESS

The visit to Japan of Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has now been completed. On August 10th, Aziz met with PM Koizumi at the Kantei. On the issue of the “war on terrorism,” the Japanese and Pakistani governments are broadly in agreement. Also, Japan has announced the first yen-loans to Pakistan since the May 1998 nuclear tests.

Photo: Prime Minister Aziz and Prime Minister Koizumi
Source: Kantei

Prime Minister Aziz spent some of his time meeting with Japanese business leaders, trying to increase Japanese investment in Pakistan. He floated the idea of creating a special Japanese industrial zone in Karachi. Later, PM Aziz told reporters that he had received a very positive response from the business leaders, and expected that major projects would follow.

On the 11th, PM Aziz visited the Aichi Expo. However, he confessed to Pakistani reporters that he was largely disappointed with the Pakistan national pavilion. He felt that countries like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had much more impressive displays. Nevertheless, he still used the occasion to make a pitch for more Japanese tourists to visit Pakistan.

Overall, the visit of Prime Minister Aziz seems to have been a modest success. The announcement of yen loans was a step forward. However, the limits of the Japan-Pakistan rapprochement also seem clear. Future projects were suggested, but little seems to have actually been consummated at this point.

The timing was also bad, since Japanese leaders are currently distracted by news of the snap election, and probably have little attention to devote to Pakistan. Additionally, the Pakistanis seem to have stepped on their own feet. On August 11th, the same day as PM Aziz was in Aichi trying to lure tourists and investment, the military back home was test firing a new missile. MOFA was forced to release a statement declaring: “The Government of Japan calls on Pakistan to sincerely respond to the efforts of the international community to promote disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.”

Test firing a nuclear-capable missile on the very same day that the Prime Minister is in Japan trying to promote investment? This was something less than a masterstroke of Pakistani diplomacy!