DNA

ISLAMABAD, MAR 1 – The year 2021 marks the completion of 70 years of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and the People’s Republic of China, established on 21 May 1951. To formally commence the 70^th anniversary celebrations, a virtual ceremony will be simultaneously held in Islamabad and Beijing on 2 March 2021.

Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi and China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Mr. Wang Yi will lead the ceremony on their respective sides.

Both countries will be organizing a series of events throughout the year to commemorate this historic milestone in a befitting manner.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will hold a special meeting on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Myanmar following the Feb. 1 military coup, officials confirmed.

Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah told Anadolu Agency that the virtual meeting will start at 3 p.m. Indonesian time (0800 GMT).

Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan also confirmed the special meeting. “A special ASEAN foreign ministers will be convened via a video conference where we will listen to the representative of Myanmar’s military authorities,” he told the parliament.

Balakrishnan called on Myanmar’s military to stop the use of lethal force against civilians, and for the immediate release President Win Myint, State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners.

“The immediate priority is to halt all acts of violence and the use of lethal force, and to step back from a rapidly deteriorating situation,” he said.

The minister called on all parties in Myanmar to engage in discussions and to negotiate “in good faith.”

He said that despite the 10-member group’s core principles of consensus and non-interference, it could still play a constructive role in facilitating a return to normalcy and stability in Myanmar, a member state.

At least 18 people were killed on Sunday as the military regime that ousted the National League for Democracy and its leaders a month ago cracked down on protesters, according to the UN Human Rights Office.

The regional body had earlier called for “dialogue, reconciliation and the return to normalcy.”

“The Biden administration should change Trump’s maximum pressure policy towards Tehran … If they want talks with Iran, first they should lift sanctions,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement on Monday.

TEHRAN – Iran said on Monday the United States should lift sanctions first if it wants to hold talks with Tehran to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers that former President Donald Trump abandoned.

President Joe Biden has said Washington is ready for talks about both nations resuming compliance with the pact, under which Tehran secured an easing of sanctions by limiting its nuclear work. But each side wants the other to move first.

The West fears Iran wants to build nuclear weapons, while Tehran says that has never been its goal.

“President Joe Biden’s administration should change Trump’s maximum pressure policy towards Tehran … If they want talks with Iran, first they should lift sanctions,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said.

Washington said on Sunday it was disappointed by Tehran’s refusal to hold talks but was ready to “re-engage in meaningful diplomacy” and would consult with major powers.

While Iran has been demanding the lifting of U.S. sanctions first, Washington says Tehran must return to compliance with the deal, which Iran has been progressively breaching since 2019.

“The new U.S. administration‘s refusal to return to the deal is a historic mistake,” Khatibzadeh said, saying Tehran would continue to work with the U.N. nuclear watchdog despite scaling back cooperation.

ISLAMABAD, MAR 1 (DNA) – Pakistan is always the first one to take initiatives for strengthening Pakistan-Bangladesh relations, but little reciprocity is shown by Bangladesh. Therefore it is high time for Pakistan and Bangladesh to let go of the past and work together for a progressive future.

These were the remarks made by Dr. Moonis Ahmar, Meritorious Professor, Department of International Relations, University of Karachi, while speaking at the second webinar in the series “Pakistan–Bangladesh Relations” organized by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), earlier today. Speakers included Dr. Sharin Shajahan Naomi, Assistant Professor, Gender Studies, Asian University for Women, Bangladesh, M. Sarwar Hossain, Barrister-at-Law of Lincoln’s Inn., and Mr. Imtiaz Gul, Executive Director of CRSS.

He added that a flexible visa regime can help in enhancing people to people relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh. He continued that people of both the countries have enormous opportunities to mend economic, political and cultural relations. According to him, efforts should be made to promote academic cooperation between the educational institutes of both countries. This cannot be done unless there are leaders from both sides who are able to promote meaningful interaction between students from Pakistan and Bangladesh.

He proposed the truth and reconciliation commission which can help overcome the bitterness of the past and also help in sanitizing the historical literature on the events around 1971.

Dr. Sharin Shajahan Naomi expressed that Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are happy with each other. In politics there is a binary view but people to people relations are good, despite the past trauma and unfortunate memories.Currently there is a huge gap in the economic relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh.She suggested that a trade agreement could be a strong starting point to form good relations on a higher level and Bangladesh would be welcoming towards this stance since it wants good relations with all its neighbors including China, Pakistan and India.

Barrister M. Sarwar Hossainreinforced that we share a common history. He admitted that there have been some political mistakes but we should move on from the past and make progress for the future. Good people to people relations are demonstrated when it comes to sporting events and tourism between regional countries. In his view, in the subcontinent, no country can develop individually, the whole region has to develop economically as economic viability will ensure security.

Public opinion is one of the most important foreign policy determinants. Therefore, regardless of reciprocity by the government of Bangladesh, Pakistan should continue doing its bits and ifthe citizens of Bangladesh will see the benefits of the policies of Pakistan, they themselves will mobilize support in favor of Pakistan and pressurize their government into taking reciprocal steps.

Dr. Moonis Ahmar ended his conversation on the note that history textbooks can make a difference by promoting a sense of joint history instead of spreading hate and violence. For a win-win situation there has to be ease in flights, shipping and trade linkages. He also highlighted that there is nothing against Bangladesh in Pakistan, the youth of both countries should not carry the baggage of the past.

Barrister M. Sarwar Hossain in his closing remarks admitted that Bangladesh understands the failures of its foreign policy and is working to open up to other countries to have good relations. In this regard he commended Pakistan’s efforts in lifting visa restrictions.=DNA

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Director General Pakistan House Mohammad Athar Javed was the host while Chief Guest was General Phil Jones. Panel consisted of  Mr. Justin Bronk, Dr. Adil Sultan, Dr. Ahmad Khan and Lt General Khalid Rabbani.

Mohammad Ather Javed, in his introductory remarks noted that future war is almost here: battles fought in cyberspace biologically enhanced soldiers autonomous systems that can process information and strike violently before a human being can blink. Technology took the wars to another level and that will cause more disastrous results. The evolving, complex world of conflict and technology demands that we pay more attention to the issues that are or can  confront us, before it is too late to control them.

General Phil Jones (retd.), former Chief of Staff NATO (UK), Chairman Army Benevolent Fund, UK-International Security Advisor said ” Technology has immense potential to bring profound changes in contemporary world. There is a difference between technological innovation and generational wars because even today soldiers are being seeing carrying rifles. There is no doubt that warfare in changing. The competition between Pakistan and India on national capabilities have been intense and will continue to be intense. This intense competition can become a battle and a struggle but not war. The competition is to erode the economic and political tensions along with ensuring political and social cohesion. Social media is a trend that can cause a stir in no time and fake news is a potential weapon while being sitting below the recognizable threshold. It is also of great important that whoever controls the space, controls land. Cyber domain is another trend of carrying out organized crime against nation. Artificial intelligence has become a buzzer of today. AI is already being weaponized, a major strategic activity to turn human activities into automation. In a decade. AI will be unimaginably strong and powerful. AI demands national strategy, not just national security.”

Mr. Justin Bronk, Research Fellow, Airpower & Technology, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), UK shared “The future of warfare is changing with every passing day. China is now producing affordable, small and easy to carry weapons that allow precision and in direct and indirect attacks. For now, point-defence system can be improved. Missile and ballistic weapons can still hit a target if there are trees or mountains in the way but laser cannot be as precious if blocked by mountains. The real revolution in defence system is the microwave weapon system but for that more power is required. Cyber, despite being the slowest, is still a powerful and dangerous enabler.”

Lt General Khalid Rabbani (retd.) HI (M), former 11 Corps Commander (Peshawar), member advisory board of Pakistan House summed up the discussion as  “I would like to thank all our speakers and participants. Military is one of the most difficult institution to change. Pakistan and India are already in a state of war. There are fields where Pakistan and India would like to outshine each other. Any nation will not be able to survive if it leaves behind Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cyber advancement. Soldiers will always be required even in AI world. AI cannot take over human activities in its entirety. It will be a blended approach. Self-reliance is the answer for any State to equip and train itself with AI.”