‘China’s global security initiative to help resolve issues peacefully’

Islamabad :Chairman of the Senate’s Defence Committee Mushahid Hussain Sayed has said China’s Global Security Initiative is a new framework for peaceful resolution of security issues.

“The GSI focuses on security as being indivisible based on respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. It also seeks to promote a security governance framework, including artificial intelligence, cyber security and related security threats based on accepted international norms of behaviour enshrined in the UN Charter and international law,” Mr Sayed told a Pakistan-China Institute dialogue on the “Outlook of Security Situation in South Asia in 2024” on Sunday.

The event took place simultaneously at two places - in Islamabad and at the Quetta Press Club - under the PCI’s Friends of Silk Road (FOSR) initiative with former Pakistan Ambassador to China Moinul Haque in the chair. The senator condemned the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Palestine by Israel.

Delving into security issues, he discussed “three new realities, including the shattering of the Middle East status quo after Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel and the subsequent Israeli war on Gaza, serious challenges posed by non-state actors, and the complex security situation between Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan,” which, he said, is now inextricably intertwined with regional geopolitics, necessitating dialogue and diplomacy.

Mr Sayed said the swift and smooth resolution of the Iran crisis was a “model of crisis management and crisis resolution.” “The two crises - Pulwama 2019 (with India) and Panjgur 2024 (with Iran) –helped Pakistan establish certain regional rules of behaviour based on our red lines in our troubled neighbourhood. Iran is not India. It is a brotherly Muslim neighbour with which Pakistan has no fundamental conflict of interest,” he said.

The senator praised Pakistani leadership for its “deft handling of the Iran crisis, maintaining a mature and measured, cool and calm approach, while avoiding jingoism.” Balochistan Senator Mohammad Abdul Qadir, who was also in attendance, stressed the urgent need for addressing the economic challenges of his province, the largest in the country.

He regretted high poverty and unemployment rates and wealth disparity in the province despite rich resources and said responsible resource management and equitable development were direly needed to address those issues. The lawmaker underscored the transformative potential of Gwadar Port and said Chinese investments in infrastructure had already fuelled economic growth, job creation, and increased trade.

He said tourism massively contributed to development and growth. Former chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority and Frontier Works Organisation Director-general Lt-General (r) Muhammad Afzal delivered a PowerPoint presentation on western route of the CPEC and opportunities it offers for development and stability.

He highlighted achievements in road infrastructure and power generation under the CPEC but urged authorities to prioritise rail, address immediate concerns in water storage and IT infrastructure, and rope in the private sector.

Director of the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies Muhammad Amir Rana said Balochistan played a pivotal role in the economic development of the country given its strategic location on classical routes connecting Asia, East Asia, and Central Asia.

In addressing the global North-South divide mirrored in Pakistan, he attributed it to inherited administrative systems from the British colonial era.

Mr Rana emphasised the shared objective of redressing wrongs of the past and upholding rights of the local communities in Balochistan, and advocated focused efforts to meet their longstanding demands.

He regretted that authorities didn’t make any “attempt at reform”, especially in neglected areas like Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Director-General of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad Sohail Mahmood emphasized the paramount importance of Pakistan's unwavering relationship with China declaring the neighbour a trusted friend.

He said the Belt and Road Initiative and CPEC addressed “key deficits in development and energy.” He also said Chinese President Xi Jinping’s GSI was an alternative paradigm promoting peace building in a world becoming more dangerous.

Former ambassador to China Masood Khalid highlighted CPEC’s transformative journey for Pakistan. Reflecting on the challenging security situation in 2013 that deterred all foreign investors, he underscored China's groundbreaking investment through the CPEC as it was then the only country willing to invest in China.

He said China's commitment, defying scepticism, reshaped Pakistan's economic landscape and fostered a new era of collaboration. Security analyst Sultan M Hali, who has authored seven books on China, said CPEC stood as a guarantor of Pakistan's prosperity. He said the nation was capable of diligently undertaking necessary preparations and leveraging opportunities within the CPEC framework.

Members of the Quetta Press Club, including former Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists president Shahzada Zulfikar, Nurul Haq Bugti and Daniyal Butt, urged authorities in Balochistan to ensure the development of people, especially youth, hold fair and free elections, and instead of ‘slogans and promises, government should eliminate bad governance and corrupt practices’ so that a conducive environment be created for successful development of CPEC. In the closing remarks, Pakistan-China Institute executive director Mustafa Hyder Sayed emphasised the significance of 2024, especially for Pakistan and CPEC and called for constructive discussions to improve CPEC outcomes. More than 100 representatives of media, civil society, parliament, and academia participated in the dialogue as well as a questions and answers session.