‘Taliban-led Afghanistan not in Pak interest’

LAHORE

Professor Marvin Weinbaum, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and Scholar in Residence at the Middle East Institute, Washington DC, spoke on 'Emerging US policy towards Pakistan and the region,' at the Centre of Governance and Policy of the Information Technology University (ITU) here on Monday. 

According to a press release, Professor Weinbaum started his talk by underscoring that Pakistan and the US have both divergent and convergent interests, and that this needs to be understood at the basic level.

He said both Pakistan and the US had the same long-term interests in Afghanistan and that “A Taliban-led Afghanistan was not in the interests of Pakistan either, especially since these were not the Taliban of the 1990's.” Professor Weinbaum, who has worked on the region for over three decades, emphasised that a Taliban-led Afghanistan “will only strengthen extremism in Pakistan and stoke the Pashtunistan issue,” and therefore Pakistan must work with the US and others to stem their rise. 

On the issue of Kashmir, Professor Weinbaum who has been US State Department Adviser, acknowledged that “the US does not have a position on Kashmir.” But he said “the only way to resolve Kashmir issue is to transcend it.”

“It is only by increasing cooperation through trade, cultural ties, etc, that Pakistan and India can make the cost of keeping Kashmir as a dispute so high that a solution becomes necessary,” he noted. “Kashmir is South Asia's Alsace Loraine and needs to be tackled as done by France and Germany with their longstanding dispute,” he argued. 

Speaking on Pakistan's domestic issues, Professor Weinbaum said the Islamist narrative had become very mainstream in the last couple of decades.

'They don't need to win elections if others are doing their bidding,” he said. The primary threat today, however, he emphasised was a return to the '1990's way of government' where outside forces thwarted democratic progress. “Removal by accusation rather than election is very dangerous for Pakistan,” he exclaimed. 

GCU moot: Government College University (GCU) is holding a three-day international conference on “Inter-Regional Connectivity: South Asia and Central Asia” to discuss the vitality of inter-regional connectivity and explore avenues of mutual cooperation. 

Twenty-five foreign experts from Russia, China, Nepal, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, UK, Singapore, Italy, Germany, Singapore and USA are participating in the conference starting from November 9.

Addressing a pre-conference media briefing, GCU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Hassan Amir Shah said the post-Soviet Central Asia was once again ready to revive historical legacy, wherein focus was on building of politico-economic linkages, and strengthening of cultural ties.

Moreover, he said, it was equally imperative today to launch joint adventures to quell the rise of terrorism, militancy, and religious extremism for sustainable peace and development in the ‘heart of Asia’. 

He said geographical proximity, historical affinities and socio-cultural propinquities were signification means to engulf the bridge of connectivity. However, he said new framework of inter-regional connectivity was a “win-win situation” for both regions.           

The conference is jointly organised by the university’s Political Science Department and Centre of Excellence, China Studies in collaboration with the both federal and provincial higher education commissions.  

veterinary education: Veterinary and livestock academicians and practitioners/professionals from various veterinary and agriculture universities and Livestock and Dairy Development Department Punjab in a meeting at the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) here on Monday mulled over various steps to improve the quality of veterinary education, research and human resource in livestock sector. 

After thorough discussion, the meeting participants constituted three committees, Research Committee, Model Veterinary Teaching Hospital Committee and LAD Curriculum Revision Committee. 

These committees comprising senior faculty members from various universities and officials from L&DD Department will finalise recommendations and steps to improve the quality of veterinary education, research and human resource in livestock sector with focus on bringing research activities/projects in line with the local needs and field-related issues and updating curricula as per modern day needs. 

UVAS Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Talat Naseer Pasha chaired the meeting while Secretary Livestock and Dairy Development Department Punjab Mr Naseem Sadiq, heads of veterinary faculties/colleges from UVAS Lahore, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Jhang, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, PMAS Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, University of Sargodha, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Islamia University Bahawalpur, the president of Pakistan Veterinary Medical Council (PVMC) and others attended the meeting.