‘Steps to resolve issues in South Asia need clarity’

LAHORE

The South Asia Region in the larger context of “Greater Asia” is pulsating with changes and opportunities. Many initiatives are undertaken, which at present time deny clarity but fuel speculations and conspiracy theories and scholars must make an attempt to understand and clarify these issues.

This was the crux of the discussion on the second day of the fourth annual social sciences conference held at a school here on Friday.

Former Diplomat Riaz Hussain Khokhar said that principal actors in the Asia region were burdened with the weight of territorial disputes, including China, India, Afghanistan and Pakistan with no resolution in sight.

Additionally Russia is pursuing aggressive policies towards Ukraine to secure its immediate border and the Chinese posturing, and its soft power projection through “One Road” and “One Belt” is raising disturbing issues, he said.

The second day of the conference was dedicated to discussion on political and international relations and brought together leading analysts and academics of Pakistan.

The title of the conference is “Major Powers and Greater Asia: The New Game”, and the talks were centered around the role of major powers like US and China in South Asia and how Pakistan features into their politics.

The conference focused on the competing perspectives of the major actors to make sense of the emerging reality in the region.

The speakers for the first session included Prof Dr Hassan Askari Rizvi, Prof Emeritus and Defence Analyst, Dr Saeed Shafqat, Director and founder of the School of Public Policy at Forman Christian College University (FCCU), political analyst Dr Ayesha Siddiqa and Dr Adil Sultan Director at the Policy, Doctrine and Strategy (PDS) Branch of the Strategic Plans Division (SPD).

Dr Hassan Askari Rizvi tackled the topic of American Policy in Asia. He said Pakistan could learn from economic and societal development in the Asia-Pacific region and how different countries in the region resolved their bilateral and regional problems.

Dr Saeed Shafqat discussed on “China’s ‘New Silk Web’: How is it impacting Iran, Pakistan and Beyond?” and focused on how Pakistan, Iran in particular and India in general are adapting to China’s rise.

Dr Ayesha Siddiqa speaking on the topic “India-Pakistan Puzzle” said that more than any other country in the world, India is what defines Pakistan. “This is a relationship that may not have a positive future nor is there any knowledge of the prime enemy state”, she said, adding that there was not a single Indian expert in Pakistan. This knowledge gap and a linear perception trajectory may not benefit Pakistan as regional dynamics change, she observed.

Dr Adil Sultan speaking on Nuclearisation of South Asia said that the lessons of the 1999 Kargil conflict and the 2001–2002 military stand-off reinforce the idea that war was no longer a feasible means of achieving political objectives.

Prof Hussain Shaheed Soherwardi, Prof at the University of Peshawar, speaking on the topic TAPI pipeline, as a new silk route and energy regime said that the pipeline was not only transporting gas, but also connecting one of the most economically disconnected regions, with unending border disputes and geopolitical conflict between India and Pakistan, as well as trouble on the two sides of the Durand Line.

Dr Moonis Ahmar, Dean Faculty of Social Sciences and Meritorious Professor at the University of Karachi, brought the European perspective to the discussion and said that European thinking was compartmentalised. They see South Asia not as a region but as a group of countries to be separately analysed.

Ms Khushboo Ijaz, Assistant Professor at Kinnaird College for Women, discussed her research on Gwadar and the Maritime Belt of Pakistan. Her research suggested that the development of Gwadar port under CPEC would be a game changer especially for Pakistan and Balochistan and for region at large. The government of Pakistan has to revisit its “land-lock thinking” in order to sensitise people about benefits of the maritime belt and resources.