The Asian century

Not greatly unsettled over the ongoing political turmoil in the country both the president and the prime minister were away from the country early this week, looking for alternatives to traditional sources for political support and economic co-operation which seem to be running dry. While President Asif Ali Zardari was in Azerbaijan's capital Baku to attend the ECO summit, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf was in Kuwait at the first Asia Co-operation Dialogue (ACD) summit. And as against the previous practice of 'looking East and going West' both have had proactive interaction with their colleagues at the summits, figuring out as how to improve quality and tempo of co-operation at bilateral and multiform forums. Of particular significance is President Zardari's meetings with his Iranian counterpart, President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad; the two discussed bilateral ties, with former expressing satisfaction over 'the upward trajectory of mutual relations'. With Turkish Prime Minister, he held discussions on bilateral, regional and international issues including situation in Syria.
In Kuwait, Prime Minister Ashraf was in the company of delegates from some two dozen regional leaders who got together to usher in what can be rightly called the 'Asian century'. As Asian countries awake from the long slumber induced by centuries old West-imposed colonialism but is now beset with serious challenges of economic decline and socio-political hegemony, the Asia is out to write its own fate and determine its destiny. The first ACD summit in Kuwait is culmination of the need felt at the very advent of the 21st century, in 2002, that the Asian countries should have assumed a stronger identity, and that it should be done by bringing various regional organisations like Asean, Saarc, ECO, GCC and SCO under one roof. For countries that are facing increasing threat of estrangement from its traditional friends in the West, the ACD offers a viable option. The 21st century belongs to Asia as its role in the global economic order has changed. By the middle of this century, Asia is expected to account for more than half of the global economy. But for which, Prime Minister Ashraf said, the "world would have been different today", in that there was global recession and "economic difficulties of the Eurozone loom large and have already had an impact on our economies".
Of about half a dozen priority areas identified by the ACD summit for co-operative action of much interest to Pakistan are food security, energy deficit and assured supply of water. And, for Pakistan, the Asia Co-operation Dialogue is an ideal platform to find solutions to these problems. In that its energy needs can be, and or are being, met from the regional sources in the Gulf. At the same time, it is actively pursuing materialisation of such projects as TAPI, CASA-1000 and IP gas pipeline. No less crucial to Pakistan's food security situation is regular, uninterrupted supply of water, which is as much under threat of shortages for climate change and mismanagement as it is hostage to Indian designs to starve it of its legitimate share from the Himalayan snowmelt. Rightly then the issues like river waters mark out a distinct function for the ACD as an instrument to promote peace. But this is easier said than done, given the fact that if not all, most of the regional co-operation organisations have failed to deliver on critical issues confronting the member-states. Will the Asia Co-operation Dialogue be able to shake off the stigma of stillbirth, it's in the future. But there is good reason to hope it would - because, Asia is about to acquire the economic strength and political clout which it never had for a long time.