Pakistan facing multiple security challenges

Islamabad
Confronted with security challenges on multiple fronts, Pakistan should pursue a comprehensive approach for dealing with extremism and terrorism, besides, pro-actively engaging neighbouring countries for creating a peaceful neighbourhood, says a press release.
This was the conclusion of a daylong international conference on ‘Future Security Outlook of South Asia: Trends and Challenges’ organised jointly by Islamabad based think-tank Center for International Strategic Studies (CISS) and German Foundation Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS).
The emerging security environment is being defined by renewed competition between regional and extra-regional players for influencing South Asian security and stability. These developments have critical implications for Pakistan’s security calculus. The conference explored the various aspects of these security challenges and made recommendations for dealing with them.
Former chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General (r) Ehsanul Haque in his keynote gave an overview of global as well as regional security. Speaking about South Asia, he said: “Regional cooperation in South Asia is stunted by Indian intransigence and exorable quest to dominate the region.” He further said that unsolved disputes like Kashmir and Indian great power status ambitions will continue to haunt Indo-Pak ties.
General (r) Ehsanul Haq said normalisation between Pakistan and India cannot be a one sided affair. A unilateral effort for a rapprochement, he believed, would be unsustainable in addition to failing to generate support at home.
He noted that while there was a strong lobby for peace with India in Pakistan, the lobby for normalisation with Pakistan in India was not robust enough to push Delhi to reciprocate goodwill gestures from Pakistan.
General (r) Haq suggested that geo-economic considerations should take lead instead of geopolitical approach for normalization of ties.
He recalled improvement in relations with Kabul and hoped that other countries like India, Iran and Russia would continue to support the process so that Afghanistan does not become a battleground for competing interests of regional and international powers.
He called for developing an ideological response to extremist narrative by involving scholars. “The matter should not be left alone to military men, bureaucrats and policemen. Islamophobia can only be challenged once Muslims put their own house in order,” the general added.
Director General Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) Masood Khan said South Asia was not working as a region because of intense strategic competition between the regional countries. Pakistan, he said, was in search of a genuine rapprochement with India. He regretted that India was not reciprocating the overtures from Pakistan.
Speaking about recently held foreign secretary talks, Masood Khan said he wasn’t sure if the atmosphere had changed. “Something positive that has, however, happened is that engagement between the two countries has resumed. A cosmetic dialogue is better than no dialogue,” he maintained.
He believed that India would have to give up its arrogance for normalisation of ties.
Despite the challenging situation, he suggested that Pakistan should work pro-actively to create a peaceful neighborhood.
He called for vigilance against the threat of Islamic State instead of being dismissive about it. “With many seminary students sharing the world view with Islamic State, the terror group poses a potent threat to our country, he added.
Masood Khan said that a comprehensive policy was needed to tackle extremism and terrorism.
Former foreign secretary Riaz Khan said: “South Asia remains troubled. Unresolved disputes between India and Pakistan, instability in Afghanistan, rise of extremist and religious violence in the region and the nuclear dimension make a dangerous mix. Potential for economic cooperation remains stifled.”
Riaz Khan said full normalization with India was not possible without resolution of Kashmir issue, which unlike India-China border disputes could not be put on back burner. Kashmir, he said, was feeding extremist narrative in both countries.Prof Siegfried Hecker of Stanford University said Pakistan has real security concerns and its perceived need for a robust strategic deterrent is now recognized by the West. However, he underscored, concerns remained about the increase in fissile material production and development of diverse delivery systems (missiles).
Executive Director of CISS Sarwar Naqvi said regional security was being impacted by diminishing Western footprint in the region, growing role of China and assertive and hardline BJP government in India.