Naval partnerships

The navies of Pakistan and Russia have conducted a joint exercise recently in the Arabian Sea. One might wonder what shared interest Pakistan and Russia have that suggests they work together — the simple answer is ‘drugs’, specifically heroin. Afghanistan, with which we share a long and leaky border, is responsible for 90 per cent of global poppy production, and of that, 40 per cent is trafficked by sea. It is by no means unusual to find raw opium originating in Afghanistan, turning up on ships that dock in Russian ports in the far north, beyond the Arctic Circle. Similarly, the sea routes into the Arabian Peninsular and Iran are also used by drug traffickers and it is in the interests of all nations to limit this deadly trade.

Pakistan has its own drugs problem that is poorly addressed, but it is able to make a contribution to the international battle against trafficking, and having a good working relationship with the Russians, as well as the Chinese, the Americans, the British and even the Indians, all at a naval level, serves all those nations well. International naval cooperation between countries, which in other ways are adversarial, has virtually eliminated the scourge of Somali piracy, and although the trafficking of drugs is never going to be totally wiped out, it is possible to interdict the traffic. At a practical level, that means that navies need to cooperate if they are to curb illicit activities in the maritime domain. Narcotics are not the only concern — international terrorism travels by sea too, and the recent exercise was an opportunity for the special forces of Russia and Pakistan to test procedures and protocols. Russia and Pakistan may seem far apart, but it is good geopolitical housekeeping for Pakistan to service bilateral relations with the Russians — and not just via naval exercises. Given that we do not enjoy the best of relations with most of our neighbours or even with the US, engagement with the Russians is most welcome.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 27^th, 2014.

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