The days of US supremacy seem numbered. At this turning point, Pakistan has to see where it will stand.
Navigating the new era will require national cohesion and strong, prudent, and sensible leadership. The power imbalance in South Asia caused by the rapidly developing Indo-US partnership leaves Pakistan with no choice but to build up its own strategic, political and economic ties.
Being economically weak and dependent on external powers, and struggling with potential instability, caused by challenges of extremism and socioeconomic discontent due to poor governance, Pakistan’s policy options seem limited. A politically stable and economically strong Pakistan is therefore a must to overcome the external challenges. The country can benefit from the changing world order, once it puts its own house in order. At the same time, it needs to get rid of the binary thinking that being one’s ally means being someone else’s enemy.
Shafi Ahmed Khowaja
Hyderabad