E-Paper
Way out for Pakistan
As regards international relations, Pakistan would need to have new equations with its neighbours and other extra-regional powers and super powers.
According to Lt Colonel Syed Iqbal Ahmed, author of the book, Balochistan: Its startegic importance, Balochistan is a link between South Asia, the Middle East and Central Asia.
It enhances the geo-political importance of Pakistan in the regional defence.
Ahmed says Balochistan is vital to Pakistan; and its loss would jeopardise the regional security arrangements with reverberations and aberrations beyond the limits of the Indian ocean.
The situation, acoording to Ahmed, could perhaps be arrested by attempting accommodation, diplomacy, national cohesion and sound political order in the country.
"Pakistan should strive to create a power base by scientific and technological development, creating an enlightened progressive Muslim society and by its ability to assert economically, culturally, politically and militarily in national and regional matters".
In state relationship, Pakistan would need to have new equations with its neighbours and other extra-regional powers and super powers.
"The "Beg Doctrine" of strategic consensus postulated by General Mirza Aslam Beg (retd), too could revitalise cooperation among the Muslim states of Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan creating a new centre of power for progress and to achieve peace and tranquillity in the region," concludes Ahmed.
As regards the current turmoil, human rights activist Asma Jehangir says that the only sane solution lies in a negotiated political settlement.
The dialogue process should address the deep-rooted feelings of injustice among the people of the province.
"We are convinced violence can resolve nothing. We urge the military authorities and the Baloch nationalists to move towards dialogue, so that the prevailing situation does not worsen any further in the days and weeks ahead," says Jehangir.
