The president’s Russia visit

With the Afghan endgame nearing its death, Zardari's visit to Russia highlights the importance of a regional solution.

Pakistan has been keeping too many eggs in one basket for decades. The only personality who initiated a break from this practice was Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (ZAB), who laid the foundation of a diversified diplomatic portfolio because of his strategic vision. He maintained good relations with the West and the US, but sowed the seeds of diversification by establishing a special bond with the Middle East on the one hand, and the former Soviet Union and the Peoples Republic of China on the other. Political governments after ZAB have tried to follow the framework laid down by him to varying degrees. The major loss since then has been the deterioration of relations with the former Soviet Union, due to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and a decade long war of attrition with devastating repercussions, not just for the former Soviet Union and Afghanistan, but also for Pakistan.

Next door, India managed better than Pakistan. During the cold war, not only did it maintain great relations with the former Soviet Union, but it also managed to have good relations with the West. Even with China, a country it has fought a war with, India now has good commercial and trade ties. After the fall of the Soviet Union, India kept good relations with the new Russian Federation and also cemented an unprecedented bond with the US and the West. Pakistan’s relations with the Russian Federation, even after the collapse of the Soviet Union, have not seen any spring while, to put it mildly, its relations with the US and the West have been chaotic and rocky.

As the Afghan endgame is drawing closer, the importance of a regional solution becomes as important as ever. The Russian Federation is Afghanistan’s closest neighbour and has legitimate interests because of its proximity to the region. The Russians are rightly concerned about the drug trade and ethnic insurgencies touching their borders. Here comes another area of convergence, should both countries move to the future without getting stuck in the past.

With Pakistan’s relations with the US at an all-time low, President Asif Ali Zardari arrived in Moscow on May 11, on his first official visit — the first since 1974. Energy projects like CASA 1000, the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-India pipeline, developing coal technology; the upgrading of Pakistan Steel; the opening of banks in each other’s countries; currency swap by making the Rupee-Rouble convertible; and agreements on trade, science, technology and education, are some of the subjects that will be discussed during the three-day official visit of the president.

A recent consultation arranged by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) and the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies of Quaid-i-Azam University ‘strongly supported the idea that Pakistan should approach Russia with an open mind and ignore the past. The president’s visit is a good step in that regard.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2011.