Bilawal warns against forging ‘military alliances’

FM outlines strategy in an increasingly polarised world

KARACHI:

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday outlined Pakistan’s strategy in an increasingly polarised world, saying Islamabad clearly voiced its opposition to any bloc politics or relapse into the Cold War.

“Forging military alliances and assigning the role of ‘net security provider’ to some countries at the expense of others is fraught with grave consequences,” Bilawal cautioned in a keynote address at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI).

Without naming names, his statement apparently was referring to the US and the West’s efforts to prop up India against China.

The foreign minister’s statement came against the backdrop of reports that Pakistan’s worsening economic problems may push the country to completely align with China. There have been concerns that the delay behind the IMF bailout may have to do with geopolitics.

But Bilawal’s speech suggested that Pakistan wanted to avoid such a situation where it had to pick sides.

“In our view, the main driver for international relations should be cooperation, not confrontation. There is everything to be gained from the economic inter-dependence and peaceful coexistence; and everything to lose from a mindless drift into confrontation and conflict. We hope prudence will prevail and the world would step back from the precipice,” he hoped.

Nevertheless, he underlined the importance of Pakistan’s close ties with China. “The all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between Pakistan and China has been enduring and mutually-beneficial over several decades. China remains a steadfast and reliable partner, and our bilateral ties continue to strengthen across myriad fields.”

He said Pakistan was fully committed to ensuring the success of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which had a transformational effect as it completes its first decade this year. CPEC’s extension to Afghanistan and further towards the West would help significantly advance our agenda of connectivity and economic integration.

While committing to strong ties with China, the foreign minister said there had been a positive momentum in the Pak-US relationship. “The new government took over when the momentum of bilateral ties had stalled. Proactive outreach resulted in high-level visits from both sides. We are confident that de-hyphenation of relations would further contribute to strengthening of our bilateral relations.”

With Russia, he said Pakistan continued to build a relationship based on trust, understanding and close cooperation on regional and international issues of common concern. There is so much potential to be realized across multiple sectors.

“As a friend of both Russia and Ukraine, we hope that there will be move towards peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.”

He said as Pakistan stressed throughout, there had to be an adherence to the time-honoured principles of inter-state relations and the UN Charter – including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. Europe had forsaken war; we earnestly hope the current drift would be reversed and a beginning would be made towards addressing mutual concerns and building sustainable peace in Europe again.

He said the relationship with India was currently marked by an atmosphere of mistrust, primarily due to India's illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019.
“Pakistan is committed to having cooperative and good-neighbourly relations with India, on the basis of mutual respect and sovereign equalities,” he said.

To move forward, India will have to address the obstacles that hinder peaceful coexistence, reverse its illegal measures in IIOJK, and create an enabling environment for meaningful engagement and result-oriented dialogue, according to the foreign minister.

He said Pakistan remained committed to a peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council resolution and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

“If this dispute is resolved in a just and fair manner, not only durable peace will be established in South Asia but also the peace dividends would contribute to the well-being and prosperity of the 1/5 (one fifth) of humanity residing in our region,” he said.

“I had the opportunity to visit GOA this year to participate in the SCO-CFM. The SCO Heads of State (HOS) meeting is going to be held soon in India. As Pakistan was considering mode of Prime Minister’s participation in the SCO summit, India announced to hold the summit in virtual format. Pakistan is committed to engagement through multilateral organizations including SCO, UN and other multilateral organizations.”

In light of the recent political developments in Afghanistan, he said the international community must maintain a pragmatic approach and constructive engagement.

“Abandoning Afghanistan or its 40 million people during this critical phase could lead to unimaginable consequences. The international community must continue to provide support and assistance to avert any potential humanitarian disaster and help build a sustainable economy for the long-term development of Afghanistan.”

“Simultaneously, Pakistan hopes that the Taliban authorities would be responsive to the expectations of the international community. The Afghan Interim Government must ensure inclusivity, respect for human rights of all Afghans, and effective counter-terrorism action.”