Islamabad: /DNA/ – The speakers at a webinar opined that Pakistan needs to revisit its geopolitical strategic and economic framework in the context of the changing landscape of the world, especially of the Asia-Pacific region. The country is being surrounded by many severe security and economic challenges, and remains undecisive to which side it shall be. Meanwhile, political instability is playing an enemy within economic growth, foreign investment and dynamic foreign policy.
They said, Pakistan will be marking ten years of CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) in 2023, which is pivotal to our economic security, and 25 years since Pakistan went nuclear in 1998, which has strongly protected our national security.
The webinar was organized by the Development Communications Network (Devcom-Pakistan) on Saturday, the new year eve. The subject of the webinar was “Pakistan’s geopolitical repositioning in 2023”. The key speakers included chairman Senate Standing Committee of Defense Production Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, former speaker Balochistan assembly Rahila Durrani, Senior Research fellow at East-East Institute (London) Dr. Najam Abbas, development expert Tahir Shamshad, Devcom-Pakistan Executive Director and a well-known geopolitical analyst Munir Ahmed, and an Indian journalist Ayan Mitra (Bengal).
Senator Mushahid Hussain mentioned three key global changes that Pakistan will be affected by. The present era is marked by profound changes in the global and regional order, which has strategic implications for Pakistan. There’s the retrenchment of US power in the Muslim World, the resurgence of Asia led by China and the rise of Hindutva, bidding goodbye to Nehruvian secularism, in neighboring India. Perhaps the most important statement of 2022 that sums up this tectonic shift of global power was made by the French President Macron, who told French diplomats in August 2022 that “the era of Western hegemony is coming to an end”.
Senator Mushahid Hussain said, the other two elements include the return to two global camps; the US-NATO versus China-Russia while the Ukraine War has led to a North-South divide. President Xi Jinping’s historic visit to Saudi Arabia has further added to the divide. Pakistan now has strategic space and more autonomy to pursue a realistic foreign policy with clarity on its relations and goals.
Pakistan must pursue its role as a hub of regional connectivity, while strengthening ties with its core partners like China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. It shall maintain economic and cultural outreach to the West, especially to the USA and Europe, and avoid repeating the old mistakes it did in Afghanistan. Most importantly, Pakistan needs a ‘political ceasefire’ at home on key issues like economy, extremism, education, so that people get a respite from this unending polarization and continuing quest for power.
Munir Ahmed said with the rise of China and the resurgence of Russia the world has moved into a new era of great power competition. China is the primary rival to the US supremacy and in Asia the two superpowers are contenders for hegemony in the same geographical space. The US is vying to maintain its decades-old supremacy in the region while China has built up partnerships and projected its influence by using the huge resources at its disposal. The Ukraine and increasing Indian influence at Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and G-20 is worrisome for internally divided and economically weaker Pakistan. In the fast reshaping geopolitical landscape, Pakistan has to gain back its decades old significant position and international trust deficit.
Rahila Durrani said Balochistan’s strategic role is not being understood, and the indigenous voices remain out of the mainstream agenda. The federal doesn’t show the required seriousness on Balochistan problems. I feel that we do not get the time required to resolve them.
Dr. Najam Abbas said, Predictions made for 2023 by major consultancy firms point to the world economy heading towards recession. This is especially troubling when the world has faced nearly two years of a pandemic which slowed down the economies, and heavily slowed down growth rate and widely disrupted the supply chains. Pakistan shall prepare for the emerging geopolitical landscape and economic conditions. If China and India could find some common language over the coming months this can shine a light at the end of the crisis tunnel.
