Pak-China
Extended Cooperation
Columnist
MEHMOOD-UL-HASSAN KHAN looks at the positive
aspects of the growing collaboration with
China.
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President Asif Ali Zardari
recently paid his fourth visit to China
within one year of assuming office of
the President of Pakistan. This time President
Asif Zardari visited Zhejiang and Guangdong
provinces of China’s east coast
- both these provinces operate large amount
of trade with us. President Zardari said
that in future Pakistan would be a leading
route for world trade and he would like
China to take full benefit of his country’s
geographical location.
During his visit President Zardari convinced
Chinese high officials to extend further
energy cooperation between the two countries.
Pakistan badly needs to overcome its ongoing
severe energy crisis through a long-term
up-gradation and diversification of the
available power resources. Over eight
MoUs in the field of cooperation in education,
fisheries, agriculture, hydro dams, and
investment were signed during this visit.......more
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Foreign
Policy – Diplomacy
or Submission
Columnist
Dr QADAR BAKHSH BALOCH takes a quizzical
look at Pakistan's Foreign Policy and
wonders where we are headed.
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Ever since the globalization of the world, diplomacy
has gained more prominence. It is an art
of dealing with other nations in such
a way that while strictly maintaining
one’s own national interests, a
nation does not impinge on the national
interests of other nations. Every act
of diplomacy has a quid pro quo. Nations
mindful of their sovereignty do not barter
their national interests for short-term
petty gains. The quid pro quo so sought
must be in consonance with long term gains.
This requires vision and foresight. What
may appear to be a gain may be a great
loss in the longer run and vice versa.
The examples of complete tilt towards
United States during the Cold War era,
and subsequent alliance with her during
the so-called Afghan Jehad and later in
the War against Terror are glaring examples
of myopic vision and lack of foresight.
Our leaders in succession failed to realize
the concomitant blunders of restricting
our alliance to only one camp thereby
ignoring the age old maxim of not putting
all eggs in one basket. By constantly
treading on a single track, we defied
the basic principle of keeping our relations
diversified. We thus closed on us all
options of maintaining cordial relations
with USSR and the West..........more
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Blocking
path
to democracy inPakistan
Columnist
MUZAFFAR K. AWAN dwells upon factors that
have not allowed democracy to flourish
in Pakistan.
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In
Pakistan, we have been dealing with
the result of a martial culture. Without
making changes to military mindset,
we will not be able to lift the barriers
that have been blocking the progress
of democracy in Pakistan. Asserting
that the greatest gift a military can
give to the people of Pakistan is for
the people to rule themselves and for
military to making a permanent pledge
to not ever involving in politics again.
Men like Washington and Lincoln, who
formed one of the great democracies
of the world, were themselves of military-backgrounds,
but they are remembered to this day
for the modern societies and democracies
they helped form. While Pakistan was
founded on the principles of democracy,
that democracy is in fact trampled underfoot
every day even now. No nation in the
world ever has been able to achieve
true civilization under a military tutelage..................more
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