Islamabad: /DNA/ – The ongoing global transformation marked by growing US-China rivalry, increasing US-India strategic relations, Russia-Ukraine conflict, and climate change posed serious challenges to Pakistan’s foreign policy, said Ambassador Nadeem Riyaz, President IRS. He was addressing a seminar organized by the Department of Strategic Studies at Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad.
He added that Pakistan should consider realignments vis-Ã -vis global environment. Besides the global environment, regional environment was also imperative. He asserted that we could not change our neighbors so it was vital to coexist with them. Pakistan needed to manage its relations with India, alongside dealing with Afghanistan, and the difficult relations with Iran, he said. He stressed the need for Pakistan to keep its ties unaffected with China, especially considering the fact that had taken a rather low-profile in recent past.
He also highlighted that foreign policy was an extension of domestic policy so current political instability was posing a challenge to our foreign policy. Among other challenges, negative perceptions about Pakistan had always been a serious challenge. He further discussed that the strategic importance of Pakistan came at cost of various obstacles and that the most notable among Pakistan’s involvement in bloc politics.
While concluding the session, Ambassador Riyaz proposed solutions to the current trials that the country had been going through. He suggested that Pakistan must balance its ties with US and China while navigating Sino-US rivalry. Additionally, managing relations with India was also imperative as it bore the potential of initiating intra-regional trade. Moreover, Pakistan needed to effectively deal with Afghanistan while simultaneously maintaining balanced relations with Iran and KSA. He added that cordial relations with the entire international community were integral in present times, especially considering the current energy needs of Pakistan which required inevitable reliance on multiple global players.
