Daily Times

The strengthening of Pak-Russia ties is a testament to the maturity of both sides and the realisation that the world is changing and countries must realign their partners and interests to stay ahead of the curve. And considering that Islamabad and Moscow were on opposite sides of the conflict that defined the previous reorientation of world politics – the Soviet-Afghan war – their coming together is all the more significant. It will help a great deal that both Pakistan and Russia have very close ties with China because the latter two form the principle modern-day anti-imperialist alliance. They are also leading the most significant financial innovation of the modern era because they have started conducting a bunch of their bilateral trade in rubles and yuan, which means soon they will not be reliant on the dollar as the international reserve currency.

Pakistan is also in the process of forging a very strong military alliance with Russia. Presently Pakistani special forces, in a class of their own, are conducting special training exercises with Russia’s elite spetsnaz commandos; clearly a win-win situation for both sides. Such exercises will make our position much stronger in the Asia-Pacific region, where we already conduct naval exercises with Chinese forces. Stronger engagement invariably leads to enhanced commerce, something Pakistan would welcome with open arms given its present financial constraints and the necessity of stimulating export earnings.

Beijing and Moscow have been working on a long arc covering the entire region, and bringing together more of their allies like Iran, which means the region is on the verge of a monumental transformation. Like the European Union (EU), which made friends and trading partners of eternal enemies, the Asian region could do with an alliance that binds all its principal players and militaries in long-term mutually beneficial projects. That Pakistan is among the leaders of this necessary change is very heartening. We should forge yet more alliances that make us strong militarily as well as economically. *