Insecurity shadows Sino-Pak economic ties

If insecurity and violence continue in Pakistan, its bilateral engagement with China will remain below expected pace.

If insecurity and violence continue in Pakistan, its bilateral engagement with China, particularly in economic and trade areas, will remain below the expected pace.

This is one of the findings listed in the new issue of Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies’ (Pips) research Journal ‘Conflict and Peace Studies’. The issue primarily focuses on the regional context of political, economic and security determinants of Pakistan’s strategic and foreign policy options, said a press release issued by Pips on Monday.

Nida Naz’s paper, from which the statement on Pak-China ties is derived, explores prospects for Pak-China relations in 2011 and beyond. Her study is an effort to understand how Pakistan’s political, religious-political and nationalist parties, militant organisations and the people of Pakistan in general view of Pakistan’s ties with China. These views have been used to determine the level of political and socio-economic support factors available in Pakistan for long-term strategic relations with China.

The second paper, by Safdar Sial, analyses emerging trends and future prospects for Pakistan-Afghanistan relations. The paper also elaborates on the implications of Pak-Afghan relations for the drive against counter-terrorism and reduction in violence and insecurity in both countries in particular and the wider region in general. Other papers cover Islamisation and the potential for militancy in the Pakistani Diaspora

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2011.