ISLAMABAD: Highlighting the different aspects of regional connectivity, cooperation and integration, speakers at a two-day seminar said that rapid urbanisation offered a big opportunity for fast-tracking regional connectivity through well-considered measures like reduction of tariff and non-tariff barriers, public-private partnerships and business-to-business linkages.
They were speaking at the inaugural session of the two-day Joint International Seminar on ‘Peace, Growth and Empowerment: Promoting Regional Connectivity’ organised by the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) and the Royal Danish Defence College (RDDC).
Speaking on the occasion, NUST Rector Lt. General (R) Naweed Zaman acclaimed the efforts of NUST and RDDC in joining hands to organise the seminar.
He said that the state of regional connectivity in South Asia was far from satisfactory as was evidenced by the extremely low intra-regional trade in South Asia, which amounted to only 5% of the total South Asian trade.
In contrast, the intra-ASEAN trade was almost 25% of the total ASEAN trade. He cited a number of reasons for poor connectivity in South Asia such as high levels of trust deficit between India and Pakistan, the unresolved Kashmir issue, long turmoil in Afghanistan and isolation of Iran.
Also addressing the seminar, former Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman General (R) Ehsanul Haq said that promoting regional connectivity meant fostering inter-regional and intra-regional connectivity, adding that the ‘One Belt One Road Initiative’ and its flagship node, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, were destined to pursue these two types of connectivity as part of a holistic and concerted approach for maximum peace, prosperity and harmony.
Ole Thonke, Ambassador of Denmark to Pakistan, hailed the joint collaboration of NUST and RDDC as a positive step forward in global knowledge-based collaboration.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 1st, 2016.
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