Regional players must avoid past mistakes, says Sartaj Aziz

Islamabad
The regional players must not repeat the mistakes of the past, and work in tandem to maximise on the opportunities and overcome the challenges presented by 2015; this was stated by Advisor to Prime Minister on National Security & Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz at the Ideas Conclave, organised by Jinnah Institute here on Wednesday, says a press release.
Addressing the audience he noted that the rise of potent non-state armed groups in the Middle East, including the Islamic State, posed a considerable challenge to regional security. He noted that Afghanistan was at a pivotal juncture, and it was imperative that all countries work together to sustain the democratic and security gains as ISAF forces withdrew from the region. He outlined the pillars of an Afghanistan policy, which was based on bilateral political engagement, intensified security and counter terrorism cooperation, deeper trade and economic partnership, enhanced regional cooperation, non-use of territories against each other and supporting an Afghan owned and Afghan led reconciliation process.
Speaking to the audience, former ambassador and Jinnah Institute President Sherry Rehman emphasised that Pakistan had undergone transformative shifts in its security policy and moved away from the notion of strategic depth, backed by multiparty political consensus to make peace with its neighbours. Kabul is the most important capital for Pakistan, she noted, in a session titled 'Navigating Change in South Asia'. At the same time the former ambassador noted that strategic empathy was needed from New Delhi as Pakistan fought a difficult war at home. She questioned why it took humanitarian crises to bring India and Pakistan together, pointing at the looming threat of climate change that was not being addressed.
Former editor-in-chief of ‘The Hindu’ Siddharth Varadarajan, meanwhile, observed that turbulence in the Indo-Pak track continued to be a source of concern for both Islamabad and New Delhi. He explained that the government of Prime Minister Modi was still finding its feet, and grappling with the realities of statecraft.
Speaking in the same session, Afghan Ambassador Janan Mosazai agreed that Afghanistan had weathered a decade of profound transformation, and that the new National Unity Government in Kabul was symptomatic of the new political consensus and consolidation of democratic will. However, issues of connectivity, trade and transit, the return of Afghan refugees and poverty were pressure-points that will continue to merit attention in both Islamabad and Kabul.
Former foreign secretary Najmuddin Shaikh stated that Pakistan's relations with Iran would improve if the government cracked down on the menace of sectarianism.
The opening session, titled 'National Security in Wartime: Is Pakistan prepared' featured Jinnah Institute Vice President Ambassador Aziz Ahmad Khan, Ambassador Najmuddin Shaikh, DG-ISSRA Major General Noel Khokhar, television anchor Ejaz Haider and senior journalist Zahid Hussain.
Participants agreed that Pakistan was faced with an existential threat that had cost the country over 50,000 lives, and that coordination with Afghanistan was necessary if Operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan was to be successful. They stated that addressing the ideological roots of terrorism was necessary, as they originated in Punjab, but the fighting remained limited to Fata. They also argued that a broad-based relationship with Afghanistan would have to include improved intelligence-sharing mechanisms between the two capitals.
The day included sessions on Extremism and Radicalization, chaired by Nasim Zehra, and whose participants included Marvi Sirmed, Ali Dayan Hasan and Zahid Hussain. A special session on the energy crisis was held with former minister for Water and Power Naveed Qamar, former federal secretary Nargis Sethi and Woodrow Wilson scholar Khurram Hussain.