‘Pakistan needs to forge stable regional policy’

Islamabad: Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s Special Representative on Afghanistan, he said that while challenges Pakistan is facing are alarming, they also underscore the importance for Islamabad to forge a stable regional policy prioritising neighbourhood.

Durrani was addressing as chief guest the inaugural session of International Conference on “Pakistan in the emerging geopolitical landscape” organised by Institute of Strategic Studies (ISS) in collaboration with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES). Durrani, said that the Indo-US relations, flux in the Middle East politics and Israel’s atrocities against the Palestinians pose a formidable challenge for Pakistan. He said that our neighbourhood is infested with challenges, conflicts and disputes, further compounded with major power rivalry. He said that in the past, the Iranian Revolution, the breakup of the Soviet Union and the rise of China created new paradigms for regional peace and security. He underlined the concern that the Ukrainian crisis is considered the revival of the Cold War rivalry, the Israel-Hamas conflict further compounded the global war, Iran-Israel conflict if not contained urgently can engulf the Middle East and beyond.

While shedding light on Pakistan, he observed that Pakistan’s unique geography enhances its geopolitical and geo-economic value as it sits in the middle of important regions like Central Asia and the Middle East. Moreover, due to its position, Pakistan also suffered at the hands of post-Soviet withdrawal and American intervention in Afghanistan. While talking about Pakistan’s internal and external challenges, Durrani pointed out that Pakistan has been in a constant flux partly rooted in history and partly due to the unstable conditions in the region. He highlighted four important factors that impact Pakistan’s regional and global perspectives: Pakistan-India relations, the situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s proximity to the Middle Ease, and Pakistan-China relations. Concluding his remarks, he brought attention to the fact that the future outlook for Pakistan in the regional context points to a mixed picture. India continues to work on anti-Pakistan pursuits, the western border persists as an avoidable irritant in the short to medium term and Iran-China relations offer a basis for a durable partnership in terms of security and economics.

Earlier, Sohail Mahmood, Director-General, ISS, in his welcome remarks, opined that amidst historic transformations globally, the world today is marked by intense polarisation, volatility and fragmentation. Traditional threats including major-power competition and wars in Europe and the Middle East are accentuated by new challenges such as cyber warfare and climate change. He said some see a “decline of the West and rise of the rest.” He said a shift towards multi-polarity is also discernable. Similarly, technology adds complexity, from informational warfare to AI militarisation. He stressed that Pakistan, like others, grapples with these complexities, from cross-border terrorism to volatility of food and fuel prices to extreme weather events. From instability in South Asia to conflict in the Middle East, and cross-border terrorism to hybrid warfare, Pakistan faces the fallout of a complex array of challenges. Like others, Pakistan must navigate these threats and challenges while seizing available opportunities.

He added that “it is our considered view that for tackling all these phenomena successfully - on national and international scale - a collaborative approach is indispensable.” Specifically, an approach that puts a premium on adherence to time-honoured principles of inter- state relations and international law, renewal of faith in equal security, fostering international cooperation and solidarity and strengthening cooperative multilateralism.