ISLAMABAD: Foreign Secretary Syrus Sajjad Qazi has emphasized the importance of exploring multifaceted aspects of Pakistan’s strategic frontiers and its potential to influence the regional environment and global outcomes.
The foreign secretary was speaking at the launching ceremony of a book, titled “Pakistan’s Strategic Frontiers” at the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad (ISSI). This was the third edited volume put together by ISSI’s Centre for Afghanistan, Middle East, and Africa (CAMEA).
In his address, Qazi stated that Pakistan, a country situated at the crossroads of South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East, occupies a unique and strategically vital position in the global geopolitical landscape.
He said that the term “strategic frontiers” encompasses the geographical, political, economic, and security dimensions that define Pakistan's role and significance in shaping regional dynamics and global interactions.
“It is, therefore, important to explore the multifaceted aspects of Pakistan's strategic frontiers, delving into its historical context, the contemporary challenges and opportunities this entails, and its potential to influence the regional environment and global outcomes,” he added.
The foreign secretary underlined that the region surrounding Pakistan is driven by complex and often volatile dynamics, adding that the book provides valuable insights into these varied dimensions, offering a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities that Pakistan faces in navigating the evolving global landscape.
“It [the book] underscores the need for strategic foresight, diplomacy, actualization of pivot to geo-economics, and practical cooperation to ensure Pakistan's continued relevance and prosperity in an ever-changing world,” he added.
Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan Ambassador (retired) Asif Durrani, in his address, stated that “Pakistan's Strategic Frontier” is a subject about which many analyses have been made during various stages of our history.
From the strategic point of view, he added that Pakistan has been facing a two-front situation for decades. While India has been an adversary since Pakistan's independence, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan created a destabilising situation for Pakistan, he added.
He stressed the need to foster greater cooperation for enhanced trade between the neighbours as regional cooperation has become a success story in many regions, especially the EU and ASEAN. “South Asia has all the potential to emerge as a formidable economic block; same is true for Central Asia and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region,” he added.
DG ISSI Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, speaking on the occasion, said that the book “Pakistan’s Strategic Frontiers” is an important addition to the existing literature on Pakistan’s place and role in an evolving region and a transforming world.
He said that Pakistan’s potential role as a key influencer in shaping the regional milieu and ensuring desirable outcomes was contingent upon Pakistan’s stable and economically-strong trajectory, which enhances its diplomatic space and allows it to play its rightful role.
Others who also spoke on the occasion included, Director CAMEA Amina Khan; Martin Mader, Head of the Asia Pacific Department, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES); Prof Muresan Liviu, President Euro Defence Romania; Ambassador (retired) Riffat Masood, former Pakistan ambassador to Iran; and Michael Kugelman, Director and South Asia Senior Associate, Woodrow Wilson Centre.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023