Dr. H. M. Saleem
The news had barely broken about our general accepting Trump’s offer for lunch. Instantly, all the ‘conscientious objectors’ with perfect 1600 SAT scores started yapping. They debated the ethics and morals of accepting lunch with a morally bankrupt president. This yapping revved up to a full frenzy the next day when Trump dropped B-2 bombs on Iranian nuclear sites.
“See, we told you! This was dumb to not only accept his lunch but also to endorse him for the Nobel peace prize.”
The opposition swamped their entire social media canvas with filthy memes and mockery of the general. On the surface, this attempt at cozying up to Trump does seem to have backfired. Trump gets a nod for the big peace prize from the government of Pakistan. The next day he starts bombing our friendly neighbor. Let’s analyze the price and the impact of this Lunch+ Nobel combo on Pakistan’s interests with our heads. Let’s put our ‘fearless’ hearts to rest for a moment.
Let’s put the moral argument aside first. Ethics and morals are individual attributes. Nations must protect national interests. شرم و حیا is for keeping an eye on an individual’s ازار بند. States must advance their national security and the well bing of their subjects. That’s it.
We definitely can question the timing of this lunch and the subsequent Nobel endorsement for Trump. But everyone turns into a future-teller and a sage with hindsight. Trump himself can say anything about himself where, what, and why he did what he did. That makes him no different from our own dear leader of the world, Imran Khan. 
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Say whatever, but the examples of such lunches are far too many in our history. The contract of صلح حدیبیہ was one such contract of peace that was inked over a dinner table. The Camp David Accords were signed in 1978 between Egypt and Israel. For decades, they have saved Egypt from the fate of Syria and Lebanon in Israel’s neighborhood. The fall of Soviet Union was one Dinner Diplomacy. It involved Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavík. This diplomacy saved the world from descending into an all-out nuclear war. All the tribal jirgas in our own backyard certify agreements among the warring parties by feasting on کابلی پُلاوٴ in the end.
In principle, I am not a great fan of generals running our foreign policies, but in our case with the U.S., it’s the one opportunity to gain access to a U.S. president that comes in years. IK has been trying his bare butt to Trump’s audience from the day one of his ouster from the government. It’s a matter of national interest–Pakistan’s interests–not the world’s interests, not the Iran’s interests. I do understand that such free lunch almost always comes with a heavy bill later on. But such is the world of diplomacy.
Iran has come to this stage because of the absence of any channels of direct communication with the U.S. for the most part of the last 45 years. If nothing else, merely an open line of communication with the U.S. administration can save us from developing Iran-like misunderstandings. Such communication is the only way to show your commitment to resolving outstanding conflicts peacefully. It serves as a medium for addressing many, if not all, issues. We clashed with India recently. This happened because of the lack of high-level communication between the two neighbors. Conflicting interests and misunderstandings exacerbated the situation.
In the end, just one meeting will not bring the bonanza of quick gratification that we are all addicted to. It simply shows Pakistan’s resolve to peace through continuous dialogue.
Keynote 180 