Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Apart from traditional security threats, South Asian countries face multiple common challenges in the realm of non-traditional security and it is imperative that regional cooperation be sought to address such collective concerns like rising poverty, food insecurity, water shortages, illicit trafficking, poor human development indices etc, in the domain of social sector and human resource development, speakers from Pakistan, China, Russia and the United States speaking on the final day of the international conference Conflict & Cooperation in South Asia – Role of Major Powers organised by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute on Wednesday.

Pakistan should, therefore, focus on strengthening its economy through structural reforms and robust trade regimes, they said, adding that bilateral transit trade agreements and South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation’s agenda should be promoted so that regional trade volume could be enhanced. Emphasis should be placed on diplomatic means, political dialogues and negotiations at both bilateral and multilateral levels to amicably settle inter-state disputes, they emphasised.

Pakistan’s recent peace overtures towards both Afghanistan and India are unfortunately not being reciprocated, they lamented, adding that the existing political and security paradigm demands that countries must resume dialogue and open communication channels regarding issues of critical nature. Global powers should play a proactive role in bridging the divide between disputants by facilitating political engagements between South Asian countries, they underscored, adding that China’s Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) offers a vision of common economic development for the entire South Asian region, which may eventually lead to common security architecture. Rather than attempting to sink this economic initiative in controversy, it should be seen as a means for mutual economic prosperity and development, they recommended.

They also called for Pakistan and the US to rationalise their expectations from each other in terms of their objectives in the region and common concerns. The US and Pakistan must move from transactional to principle based relationship.

In his speech, Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan urged Pakistan not to change, abandon nor alter its stance on Indian-Held Kashmir (IHK) and called on the government to develop a holistic policy and clear national security paradigm and national security strategy which is shared with all stakeholders. Sharing the situation in IHK, he said that India had abandoned all principles of proportionality and precaution and the distinction between combatants and non-combatants was being flagrantly violated. He cautioned that until the general elections in India, no peace overtures are likely to be considered.

AJK President Sardar Masood Khan also emphasised that the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has helped bring the Kashmir dispute back on world stage given India’s hostility to the project. However, CPEC should be treated as a catalyst and not as a substitute or panacea for Pakistan’s internal economic development.

“Start thinking of CPEC in terms of CPEC-Plus wherein social sector development, especially Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals about provision of quality education is prioritised,” he commended. He also emphasised leveraging the strength of Pakistan’s diaspora in the Middle East, Europe and US which now has considerable political traction, in order to reap huge dividends for the country on critical political and economic issues.

Shanghai Institute for International Studies Asia Pacific Centre’s Dr Liu Zongyi was of the opinion that even though the BRI has stimulated South Asian regional connectivity, India has adopted opposing, delaying and hedging measures towards different parts of the BRI.

“India opposes CPEC and delays the Bangladesh China India Myanmar (BCIM) Forum for Regional Cooperation and puts forward the Bangladesh Bhutan India Nepal, Initiative and Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation has raised Project Mausam, Cotton Route, Spice Route, or Sagar Mala projects and upgraded the Look East policy to Act East policy, to hedge the 21st Century MSR,” he said. According to Dr Liu Zongyi, India has been giving precedence of geopolitics over geo-economic cooperation.

“Indian hedging strategy towards the BRI has very strong military and strategic implications. They want to use so-called values, norms, international law, rules and standards to contain BRI. Indian and Western mass media has waged a war on BRI,” he stressed.

Discussing geopolitics of South Asia and interests of Russia, Journal of Eurasian Affairs Chief Editor & Founder Leonid Savin argued that since Pakistan has taken a position of sovereignty and denied its critics in Washington, it has aroused considerable interest from Russia as an emergent power.

Published in Daily Times, December 13^th 2018.