Pakistan and Bangladesh: strategic consonance

Both the countries can tune their economies in line with regional connectivity and reap benefits

South Asia has been struggling against poverty and transnational challenges. Continuing territorial disputes and ideological differences within the region have led to insecurities. Economic engagement and regional connectivity through seaports and economic corridors are new to this least integrated region wherein the political environment has been defined in the context of confrontational politics. While comparing South Asia to other regions like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) or the larger East Asia, the latter has progressed owing to the peaceful regional environment. ASEAN as an organisation has grown because the regional countries have focused on economic development. Even though disputes over the South China Sea persist, the countries in the region have moved forward through economic engagement and stepped-up political relations. Due to economic ties and interdependence, the conflictual approaches, if not eliminated, have been mollified.

South Asia with CPEC is moving towards economic integration and regional connectivity. It foretells the region’s relevance towards the emerging trends globally. With the operation of the corridor, the influx of new political players in the region is expected. China’s growing role in South Asia, as apparent from seaports and corridors, will make it an active player in the region. Against this backdrop, a regional approach with a focus on economic development is required. The seaports and connectivity need to be translated into political gains. The regional countries should not try to become part of the US-China competition and the Indo-Pacific construct. Thus, to achieve the vision of regional connectivity and progress, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries need to join hands and give up the political differences.

The economy of Pakistan has dropped. The country’s economic condition is the outcome of internal and external factors. Externally, the situation in Afghanistan and the US-led war on terror have impacted the security of Pakistan. Amid that war, the foreign direct investment in Pakistan dipped. Internally, the corruption by the successive political regimes has badly damaged the country’s industry. Despite these fault lines, Pakistan has fought back militancy and at the regional front has made a comeback in the form of CPEC. The present government is focusing on economic development. Pakistan at the regional level has adopted a narrative of geo-economics. Other regional countries like Bangladesh by providing China access to Bay to Bengal have expressed support to inter-regional connectivity. Bangladesh’s economic growth is also laudable. Shijin Chan, former Vice President of Asian Development Bank, says that Bangladesh is one of the fastest-growing economies in the region. The poverty level in the country has reduced to 24.6%.

Given the emerging regional corridors, Pakistan and Bangladesh are likely to emerge as lead players in regional connectivity. Bangladesh is part of BCIM (Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar) and Pakistan is the lead country in CPEC. Gwadar seaport is centrally located at the crossroads of South, Central and West Asia. The Chittagong seaport is the route to the Bay of Bengal. Bangladesh has provided China with access to the Bay of Bengal. Seeing Bangladesh’s growing inclination towards China in the regional context shows that Bangladesh supports China’s building of seaports in South Asia. It also indicates that Bangladesh sees the emerging connectivity corridors as beneficial to the region’s progress. In this backdrop, Pakistan and Bangladesh share strategic consonance in regional connectivity. Both the countries can tune their economies in line with regional connectivity and reap the benefits of economic corridors.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 6^th, 2022.

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