THE President of the Republic of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, paid an official visit to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan from 25 to 27 November 2024, at the invitation of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. This visit by President Lukashenko was of immense importance for Pakistan and the region. That is why, in a statement, President Lukashenko mentioned that significant international powers are opposed to the stability and development of Pakistan. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chief Imran Khan and his third wife, Bushra, serving what many describe as the anti-development agenda of the West, worked hard to overshadow the high-value visit of President Lukashenko. As many as 43 prominent investors were part of the 68-member delegation accompanying the President.
While police, backed by paramilitary forces, were attempting to control the situation in Islamabad, Pakistan and Belarus were holding high-level talks at the Prime Minister’s House. Imran Khan and his party leaders purposefully executed protests on November 24 and beyond to undermine the visit of President Lukashenko. Unfortunately, the visit went under the radar or failed to gain significant traction, as attention was focused instead on the Tehreek-e-Insaf protests, dubbed as a “final call” to seek the release of the jailed Imran Khan.
Under President Lukashenko, the relationship between Russia and Belarus has improved so significantly that the West often views Minsk as a satellite state of Moscow. President Lukashenko is currently the longest-serving president in the world, having assumed office in 1994. Belarus was part of the (former) Soviet Union until its disintegration in 1991. Despite breaking away from the Soviet Union, Belarus has maintained close ties with Russia.
President Lukashenko is considered to be quite close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, often serving as a conduit for Putin’s messages to the West. Russia has maintained military bases in Belarus, which has fully backed Moscow in its ongoing conflict with Ukraine. Against this backdrop, many Western countries viewed the visit of President Lukashenko to Pakistan with great interest. It is believed that President Lukashenko delivered a stern warning on behalf of Putin to European countries regarding their supply of arms to Ukraine. Although President Lukashenko has visited Pakistan in the past, this latest trip occurred at a time when Belarus’s ties with Western countries are strained due to its close relationship with Russia. The visit of the Belarusian President, accompanied by a 68-member delegation at a juncture when Western countries’ relations with Russia are highly tense, holds great significance for both Pakistan and Belarus.
The visit highlighted Pakistan’s robust foreign policy. Pakistan’s ties with Belarus have always remained under the radar of the West, particularly the United States. Some analysts believe that President Lukashenko’s trip underscores Pakistan’s growing closeness with Russia and its regional allies. In April this year, the United States banned a Minsk-based company from supplying technology that the State Department alleged contributed to Pakistan’s long-range missile program. Pakistan dismissed the U.S. allegations, but the incident highlighted the close scrutiny of Pakistan-Minsk ties by the West. Despite its dependence on the West, particularly for IMF bailouts, Pakistan is eager to diversify its foreign policy options. Certain powers have expressed serious concerns over the frequency of high-level exchanges between Pakistan and Russia this year. These include visits by the Russian Deputy Prime Minister, the Russian Prime Minister and senior Russian military officials. The visit of President Lukashenko is seen as part of these growing exchanges between Pakistan and Russia, along with its allies. During President Lukashenko’s visit, Pakistan and Belarus signed 15 important agreements and MoUs, including the Roadmap for Comprehensive Cooperation for the Period 2025–27. This roadmap focuses on enhancing bilateral economic cooperation between the two nations.
The visit also resulted in agreements on several initiatives covering various fields, including agriculture, information technology and maritime cooperation. It is the national obligation of every political party in Pakistan to ensure that internal politics does not harm the country or its international standing. Pakistan must always come first. Both government and opposition leaders, along with all political parties, share the responsibility for the country’s progress and development. Any political attempts to damage Pakistan’s political, economic or diplomatic relations with the world are counterproductive and will not serve the nation.
—The writer is author of several books based in Islamabad.
(naveedamankhan@hotmail.com)
