{"id":6088,"date":"2020-03-21T09:16:51","date_gmt":"2020-03-21T09:16:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/?p=6088"},"modified":"2020-03-21T10:13:11","modified_gmt":"2020-03-21T10:13:11","slug":"ukraine-made-a-mistake-by-giving-up-nuclear-arsenal-of-soviet-era-zahid-mubashar-pak-envoy-to-kyiv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/ukraine-made-a-mistake-by-giving-up-nuclear-arsenal-of-soviet-era-zahid-mubashar-pak-envoy-to-kyiv\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine Made Mistake by Giving Up Nuclear Arsenal, Pakistan will Never do That ; Envoy to Kyiv Speaks Straightforward"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Interview by Brian Bonner<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Photos by Volodymyre Petrov<\/h3>\n

For Kyiv Post<\/strong> \u2013Published on 19 March 2020<\/h3>\n

Ukraine could learn a lot from Pakistan, whose capital is nearly 5,000 kilometers away from Kyiv.<\/h3>\n

One of the lessons, in the view of Pakistan Ambassador to Ukraine Zahid Mubashir Sheikh<\/strong>, would have been to keep its nuclear weapons and not give them up, as Ukraine agreed to do in 1994. Pakistan, by contrast, became a nuclear power in 1998.<\/h3>\n

The difference is stark when it comes to confronting threats from foes \u2013 India in Pakistan\u2019s case, Russia in Ukraine\u2019s case. Did Ukraine make a mistake in giving up its Soviet-era nuclear arsenal?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cHonestly speaking, I would say yes<\/strong>,\u201d the ambassador said in an interview with the Kyiv Post ahead of Pakistan Day, a national holiday celebrated on March 23. \u201cHad Ukraine remained a nuclear power today, their position would be different. Those who assured them that Ukrainians don\u2019t need nuclear weapons and the whole world would be with them, that they would be OK \u2014 well, nobody fights for you. You have to fight for your own battle.\u201d<\/h3>\n

Today, Russia<\/strong> occupies 7 percent of Ukraine\u2019s territory, including Crimea and parts of the eastern Donbas.<\/h3>\n

By contrast, Pakistan noticed a distinctly more respectful change in India\u2019s behavior after Islamabad acquired nuclear weapons. After four wars and other battles with India since the 1947 partition that split the two former British colonies into separate nations, the Pakistani nation of 200 million people feels the strength and security that comes from being the world\u2019s 7th<\/sup>\u00a0nuclear power.<\/h3>\n

\u201cPakistan will never agree to give up our nuclear weapons<\/strong>,\u201d the ambassador said. \u201cThis is our survival. To maintain peace, you have to prepare for war.\u201d<\/h3>\n

Pakistan and India<\/strong> have remained on a war footing since the 1947 partition. Many of the disputes between the neighbors are over the Muslim-majority territory of Kashmir, the Himalaya area governed by India, but claimed by both nations.<\/h3>\n

Last year, the Indian government of Narendra Modi revoked the territory\u2019s autonomous status and imposed sharp curbs on civil liberties to put down unrest. The harsh measures, combined with persecution and murders of Muslims in India, have kept relations in a \u201cvery bad\u201d state.<\/h3>\n

\u201cToday is the 219th day of the siege of Kashmir<\/strong>,\u201d the Pakistani ambassador said. \u201cPeople don\u2019t have medicine. They don\u2019t have food in their house. People are being killed, women are being raped, children are being abducted.\u201d<\/h3>\n

India is home to almost as many Muslims as the entire population of Pakistan. But the persecution of Muslims in India, Sheikh says, proves that the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan \u201cwas the wisest step.\u201d He said \u201ca cow gets preference over\u201d Muslims in India.<\/h3>\n

He said a new citizenship law in India discriminates against Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs. \u201cThis might break India<\/strong>,\u201d he said.<\/h3>\n

Ambassadors from military ranks\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Like all but one of Pakistan\u2019s eight ambassadors to Ukraine, Sheikh comes from the military. He\u2019s a retired major general who ended his service in 2012 after more than 35 years in the army.<\/h3>\n

He commanded forces in the 1999 Kargil War against India, oversaw nuclear weapons and served as defense attach\u00e9 in Iran, among other assignments. He arrived in Kyiv a little more than a year ago. The military is a powerful institution in Pakistan \u2013 so powerful that officers even have a quota in the diplomatic foreign service.<\/h3>\n

The reason why Pakistan sends retired military generals to Ukraine<\/strong> is simple: The major component of the bilateral relationship, worth more than $1 billion since the 1990s, comes from military trade. \u201cMostly Ukraine is selling to Pakistan,\u201d he said.<\/h3>\n

Pakistan has purchased hundreds of its main battlefield tanks, including the T84UD, from Ukraine, as well as other weaponry. Ukraine services the equipment too. Vadym Nozdria, director of state-owned Ukrspetsexport, estimated the value of Pakistani military purchases at more than $100 million in the last three years. He said the nations are currently in negotiations over a potential $1-billion sale.<\/h3>\n

Consequently, after more than a quarter-century of doing business, the military side of the relationship is far more advanced than the civilian side. While the chief of Pakistan\u2019s air force and his Ukrainian counterpart have visited each other\u2019s nations, few meetings have taken place among top political leaders in many years.<\/h3>\n

Also, no trade agreement exists between the two nations. Consequently, bilateral non-military trade was an anemic $135 million in 2019.<\/h3>\n

Pakistan\u2019s current ambassador feels the chill on the civilian side.<\/h3>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, the interaction is much less than desired. They rarely give you an appointment to meet,\u201d the ambassador said. \u201cThey have two standards for nations: Those who are donors, they have a lot of time to meet them. For those they think are not their donors, it is very difficult to get an appointment with a minister or even a deputy minister.\u201d<\/h3>\n

\"\"Visa hardships<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The indifference is acute when it comes to how Pakistani citizens and potential investors are treated, even those with valid visas. \u201cOne number I wish to give you: A year before me, 98 people came from Pakistan on a visa and were refused entry<\/strong>. They sent them back.\u201d<\/h3>\n

After one particularly egregious incident, the ambassador intervened and complained to Ukrainian authorities. Since then, he said, \u201conly two incidents have happened\u201d when Pakistanis were denied entry to Ukraine despite holding valid visas.<\/h3>\n

\u201cUkraine is my second home and I don\u2019t want them to have this problem with their reputation,\u201d Sheikh said. He chalks up the hardships to ignorance and a lingering Soviet mindset<\/strong> \u201cthat anybody coming to us is a spy.\u201d He noted that \u201cAmerica doesn\u2019t face these problems. Ukraine needs to treat people from India and Pakistan with some dignity.\u201d<\/h3>\n

Ukraine\u2019s Ambassador to Pakistan, Volodymyr Lakomov<\/strong>, is set to return to Kyiv soon after eight years.<\/h3>\n

\u00a0Sheikh said\u00a0 \u201cI heard we have to do all \u2018wrong things\u2019 to get a visa to Ukraine.\u201d<\/h3>\n

Lakomov, reached by telephone at the Ukrainian embassy in Islamabad, acknowledged that many Pakistanis \u201care refused\u201d visas, but said these decisions are made in Kyiv. As for suggestions of bribe-taking, Kyiv\u2019s representative said \u201ccorruption in the Ukrainian embassy is zero.\u201d He said both nations are making progress in \u201covercoming bureaucracy on both sides.\u201d<\/h3>\n

Lakomov said that he will miss Pakistan when he returns to Ukraine soon. \u201cIt\u2019s an interesting country, exotic,\u201d he said. \u201cRight now, I work at the stage when I love this country.\u201d<\/h3>\n

But his Pakistani counterpart in Kyiv said that, until the Ukrainian government is more welcoming, the investment will not come. \u201cWho would like to invest here if he is doubtful that he will get a visa the next time?\u201d<\/h3>\n

Impressed with Zelensky<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sheikh\u2019s disappointment doesn\u2019t sour him on President Volodymyr Zelensky. He sees a dynamic new leader and compares Zelensky favorably with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.<\/h3>\n

Both were stars before politics \u2013 Zelensky as a comedian and Khan as a world-class cricketer.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cThe people of Ukraine were able to bring a common man into the presidency, defeating an oligarch with a huge majority. He swept to the power,\u201d Sheikh marveled at Zelensky\u2019s landslide victory in 2019 over President Petro Poroshenko. \u201cThe people have got the mentality of democracy.\u201d<\/h3>\n

Both leaders, however, have to fight rampant corruption holding back their development.<\/h3>\n

\u201cThe government of Imran Khan today is fighting against corruption. It is not easy to fight against corruption. They are like a mafia,\u201d Sheikh said. \u201cThe same as the state here. The field is not easy for Zelensky. He has changed his team \u2014 too soon, I think. I think he has to do all the tricks to get rid of corruption. Once a country gets corrupt, it gets instilled in the minds of everybody, and it\u2019s not easy to change. I have a lot of hopes for him. He\u2019s trying his best. This man is good. He has good intentions. He has pain for the poor man.\u201d<\/h3>\n

The same situation is true with Khan, a philanthropist who has \u201cgot an aim in life. He\u2019s not falling for money. He\u2019s loved by the people and popular in the whole world,\u201d Sheikh said.<\/h3>\n

Neutral in Russia\u2019s war\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Disappointing for Kyiv, however, is Pakistan\u2019s neutrality in Russia\u2019s ongoing war against Ukraine \u2013 especially considering its history of territorial disputes with India, a much larger and more powerful neighbor. Pakistan does not support sanctions against the Kremlin and doesn\u2019t declare Moscow the aggressor.<\/h3>\n

But its ambassador in Kyiv sympathizes with Ukraine.<\/h3>\n

\u201cRussia is a bigger power. They are in a better position to give. They need to be more graceful and giving,\u201d Sheikh said. \u201cZelensky has made some progress. They are talking to each other. Our case with India is worse, we don\u2019t talk.\u201d<\/h3>\n

To end the war, however, he said both nations must compromise. Still, he added, referring to Ukraine\u2019s surrender of nuclear weapons in the 1990s, \u201cthe mistake that they made cannot be undone.\u201d<\/h3>\n

https:\/\/www.kyivpost.com\/business\/pakistans-ambassador-ukrainians-have-got-the-mentality-of-democracy.html?fbclid=IwAR0CY378KZWyqf-jmh_TslaEBDsn3LMpaFV98E0IKFGEpQQXMa3RbXKrGFI&cn-reloaded=1<\/a><\/h3>\n

<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Interview by Brian Bonner Photos by Volodymyre Petrov For Kyiv Post \u2013Published on 19 March 2020 Ukraine could learn a lot from Pakistan, whose capital is nearly 5,000 kilometers away from Kyiv. One of the lessons, in the view of Pakistan Ambassador to Ukraine Zahid Mubashir Sheikh, would have been to keep its nuclear weapons […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,91,46],"tags":[274,272,273,48,270,271],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6088"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6088"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6088\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6093,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6088\/revisions\/6093"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}