Daily Times

Undeniably there is an organic connection between strategic peacebuilding and the Bajwa doctrine. The Bajwa Doctrine–which consists of a three-pronged strategy that focuses on securing national security, regional peace and bilateralism– seeks total peace on the western borders while it also broadens the scope of peace with our eastern borders if India seriously acknowledges the exigency to resolve the Kashmir issue (a major impediment to lasting peace in South Asia) under the ambit of international law/UNSC resolutions. Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa has indoctrinated the regional peace approach as the end- all and be- all of his policy missions. Gen General Qamar Javed Bajwa on last Thursday said, ‘’ it is time to bury the past and move forward”, adding that Pakistan is ready to resolve all regional conflicts with its neighbours

The core of the Bajwa doctrine: Fundamentally, the Bajwa Doctrine does not foster the role of a hateful neighbour trying to destabilise others but establishing Pakistan as a proud peace-loving country which wants peaceful coexistence with the world. But if provoked, threatened or pressurised it will show its full muscle power to the enemy to prove its strong commitment to the motherland.

National security: While speaking on the eve of a National Security Conference held in Islamabad (March 18), General Bajwa asserted: ‘’it is an almost universally acknowledged fact that the contemporary concept of national security is not only about protecting a country from internal and external threats but also providing conducive environment in which aspirations of human security, national progress and development could be realised. Surely, it is not solely a function of armed forces anymore. National security in the age of globalisation, information and connectivity has now become an all-encompassing notion; wherein, besides various elements of national power, global and regional environment also play a profound role.

To mend their fences, both India and Pakistan need to engage diplomatically. Obviously, the resumption of NSA level talks between Islamabad and New Delhi could also form the very basis of negative peace

National security is thus multi-layered: outer layers being the exogenous factors of global and regional environment and inner layers being the endogenous factors of internal peace, stability and developmental orientation. A nation at peace and a region in harmony are thus essential prerequisites for attainment of national security in the true spirit. No national leaders of today can ignore these factors.’’ The fact remains that the Bajwa doctrine does not separate national security from the domain of regional peace and harmony. Securing Pakistan from external threats, and strengthening political and economic system are the needs of present times.

The CENTCOM commander Gen McKenzie  who currently visited Pakistan, has been appreciative of Pakistan’s role for peace in Afghanistan. While addressing Chiefs of Defence Conference in Kabul last month, Gen Bajwa said that regions develop as a whole, not individual countries. He said that Pakistan has eliminated all terrorist sanctuaries from its soil, however, residual signatures of terrorists, who take advantage of the presence of 2.7 million Afghan refugees and absence of effective border security coordination, are also being traced and targeted through ongoing operation Radd-ul-Fasaad.

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and Commander Sri Lankan Army General Shavendra Silva called on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on last Friday, a statement issued by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. The military’s media wing said that matters of mutual interest, regional security issues with particular reference to enhanced military cooperation were discussed during the meeting. “The visiting dignitary acknowledged Pakistan’s continuous efforts for peace and stability in the region, especially in the Afghan peace process and pledged to further enhance bilateral relations between both countries,” the statement added.

Regional peacebuilding & the Kashmir issue: Gen Bajwa, while proposing peace with India, echoed Prime Minister Imran Khan, who had at the inaugural session called for resolving the outstanding disputes through dialogue and establishing ‘civilised neighbours’ like relations . He called for shedding zero-sum perspectives and preferring cooperation over confrontation. “However, we feel that it is time to bury the past and move forward,” Gen Bajwa said. “But for resumption of peace process, or meaningful dialogue, our neighbor will have to create a conducive environment, particularly in Indian-occupied Kashmir.”

Gen Bajwa also said that the potential for regional peace and development always remained hostage to the disputes and issues between Pakistan and India – the two “nuclear-armed neighbours”. To mend their fences, both India and Pakistan need to engage diplomatically. Obviously, the resumption of NSA level talks between Islamabad and New Delhi could also form the very basis of negative peace. Pragmatically some argue, If Pakistan and India start the NSA level talks, naturally, both sides would benefit from reactivating the channel to exchange views on national security issues.

Arguably, despite the adversarial state of relations between Islamabad and New Delhi, this synergy may act as a via media between the two states. If a crisis moment does arrive, the NSA channel could help understand the military intent and communicate its limited nature clearly even as the two sides engage in manipulation of risk and signalling to national and international audiences. And yet, establishing a formal diplomatic engagement requires the resumption of the FMs level talks between India and Pakistan which is an imperative for promoting peace in South Asia.

It is positively argued that the two sides—India and Pakistan need to change this context and their mutually hostile mindsets to one that induces peace more than it breeds war, is something that cannot be over-emphasised. There is so much to lose from war — money, men, our essential humanity. And there is so much to gain from peace — human development, security, and a change in the quality of life in South Asia. To move on the path towards sustainable peace and development, New Delhi must restore Kashmiris’ fundamental rights and honour their right to self-determination guaranteed to them by the UNSC resolutions—preserving the spirit of international law. India must abandon its policy of military brinkmanship in the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK).

Promotion of bilateralism via CPEC: The CPEC project is also open to all interested regional stakeholders, among which Central Asia is one of the most important in geopolitical terms. Located in a landlocked but resource-rich region, Central Asian countries need better access to regional markets including Pakistan, China, India, and the countries of West Asia. Pakistan and China have huge energy demands that can be satisfied by growing trade with Central Asia. Thus, the CPEC will not only benefit Pakistan and China, but it also presents a strategic opportunity for Nepal ,Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on the one side while Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan on the other.

The writer is an independent ‘IR’ researcher and international law analyst based in Pakistan