Many at home and abroad are questioning the timing of the visit. Even though the prime minister had played down the timing of the visit and the effect it would have on the country’s relations with the West, some analysts believe it is a double-edged sword and that the government must tread with caution.
Pakistani journalist Zarrar Khuhro told leading Pakistani newspaper Dawn that the best that one could hope for would be for Imran’s trip to happen without “any major off-the-cuff gaffes and hope any fallout can be managed”.
Uzair Younus, director of the Pakistan Initiative at the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Centre, tweeted, “the timing of the trip “could not have been worse, but it is what it is”. He said that the premier and his team must remain cognisant of the fact that Pakistan’s core economic interests were aligned with the West.
Ahead of Imran Khan’s visit to Russia, a Pakistani geopolitical analyst had pointed out that the visit did not come at a suitable time. Analyst and Balochistan politician Jan Achakzai said the most prominent aspect of this visit is that Russia did not invite, rather an invitation was sought.
Achakzai wrote in the Pakistani newspaper The News International that Russia didn’t seek Pakistan’s support, nor did the US stop Pakistan from going to Moscow.
“Is it Pakistan’s irrelevance or a clear reading of the US that we will come back from Russia empty-handed and will beg for financial concessions from Washington in forums like IMF, FATF, etc, from a position of further weakness?” he had asked.
According to Achakzai, Russia is not going to give Pakistan anything because Moscow losing India for the sake of Islamabad’s support is not an option. “Pakistan’s support comes at the cost of frequent requests for aid and loans.”
