by Irfan Mahar 19 December 2023
Since the beginning of time, the world has changed in a variety of ways, including the social, political, cultural, psychological, technological, and religious. History demonstrates how many regions of the world changed and advanced dramatically in a variety of spheres of life. The modern world is seen as technologically advanced due to advancements in a variety of areas, including science, culture, society, and many more. In this dynamic globe, certain nations have advanced economically, socially, politically, and technologically while others have not kept up with global standards. Among the most developed countries in the globe are the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, Russia, and a few more countries. Through a variety of strategies, the world’s most developed nations constantly attempt to subjugate the less developed or impoverished nations. In order to preserve their hegemony, industrialized nations implement a range of policies and strategies across the globe to impact and control the social, political, technological, cultural, and economic domains within those nations. For instance, the South Asian region has long been the target of the harmful and incorrect policies of developed nations like the United States, Russia, and the United Kingdom. These states have consistently attempted to use all available tactics to gain more power and control over the surrounding states in order to further their own political and economic objectives. The security dynamics in South Asia were deteriorating daily due to the politics of big and industrialized states.
In the past, Great Britain exerted influence over this area by using force to rule the subcontinent. Britain imposed misguided and unfavorable policies that were detrimental to the area and made South Asia’s security situation worse. Following GB, Russia attempted to subjugate or conquer Afghanistan in order to gain access to the warm seas. In this sense, it sparked the conflict in the 1980s, which deteriorated the nation’s security condition and resulted in fatalities, destruction, instability, and bloodshed. The United States began its war on terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq at the beginning of the twenty-first century. In order to destroy terrorism and apprehend Osama bin Laden, the primary architect of the 9/11 attacks, US and NATO forces launched an invasion of Afghanistan. The conflict between US and NATO forces in Afghanistan exacerbated the security situation in South Asia and brought death, destruction, and instability to the whole region. South Asian countries endured the worst periods in history as a result of the US and NATO forces’ war on terror, which altered the security dynamics of the region by bringing terror attacks, wars, violence, extremism, and drug trafficking. Additionally, it gave rise to a number of militant organizations and terrorist groups operating throughout South Asia, which have been linked to violence, extremism, suicide bombings, and other terrorist acts in a number of South Asian nations, including Pakistan, India, China, and Afghanistan.
Following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan in August 2021, a number of groups have been active in the region, promoting violence and destruction. These groups include Islamic State Khorasan (ISK), Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and numerous other small groups that are involved in terrorist and militant activities throughout South Asia. Terrorist groups like TTP and ISK have carried out several terrorist strikes on Pakistani military personnel and civilian targets. Pakistan must thus carefully consider its foreign policy and explore its economic opportunities within the South Asian region. Every state bases its foreign policy on its national interest; Pakistan is no different. As such, it must pursue a South Asian foreign policy that benefits both its citizens and the people of the other countries in the region. According to the National Security Policy of Pakistan, which Prime Minister Imran Khan’s administration unveiled in 2021, Pakistan should establish relationships with other countries based on shared interests, teamwork, cooperation, and respect for national sovereignty.
The economic policy that established both traditional and non-traditional security is the fundamental component of NSP. According to the NSP, Pakistan can improve all other aspects of state affairs by concentrating on its economic policy and fostering stronger economic ties with neighboring nations as well as other countries worldwide. This is because the economy plays a major role in a country’s development, stability, peace, and well-being. In order to benefit from these relationships and foster peace, stability, and development throughout the region, Pakistan must design their economic policies to be amenable to positive and cooperative relationships with neighbouring states namely China, Afghanistan, India, and Iran. In order to foster peace, stability, and development in the region, not just Pakistan but also other South Asian states must fulfill their respective roles in building the region.
For instance, other nations in the region may profit from China’s enormous Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In this sense, Pakistan must also fulfill its responsibility to persuade other neighboring countries to join the BRI, just as Pakistan has done through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Through its numerous completed projects, the CPEC has produced thousands of jobs across the nation. Since collaboration and respect for one another’s sovereignty are the cornerstones of every nation’s prosperity, peace, and stability, Pakistan must cultivate its relations with other South Asian regional powers in the same manner that it has with China. If Afghanistan, Iran, and India agree and begin to develop their economic relations without outside influence, Pakistan can trade billions of dollars with them. If all of the regional nations join the BRI, it will also benefit them all since it will allow them to connect with other regions of the world through economic, social, political, cultural, and technological ties. In the end, this will lead all of the regional nations—including Pakistan—toward a path of peace, stability, development, prosperity, and mutual benefits.