A webinar on the topic of “The Changing Global Power Politics and the Kashmir Issue – Policy Options for Pakistan” was organized by the Global and Research Studies Center (GRSC), IoBM on Thursday, September 8, 2022. The panelists included Ambassadors Javid Hussain and Mr. Farrukh Pitafi, Senior Analyst and Television Host. Ambassador Ghulam Rasool Baluch was the moderator. During his opening address, Ambassador Baluch said that South Asia will become a zone of prosperity unless the Kashmir Issue is resolved. He added that India’s policies go against all social and international norms especially after it abrogated the status of Kashmir.
Ambassador Javid said that the world is undergoing a radical transformation led by China. He predicted that China will become the leading power in the world with its military expenditure exceeding that of the US by the year 2035. He added that India is also emerging as a power. Pakistan’s foreign policy is dependent on what actions India takes. He said that the center of gravity of global power politics will shift from the Atlantic Ocean to Asia.
Out of 32 leading countries, 12 will be from Asia accounting for 44% of the world GDP. This calls for Pakistan’s foreign diplomats to concentrate on the emerging power centers in Asia. He shared that we cannot neglect the actions of the US and Europe but we need to position our manpower and resources to capitalize on the future of Asia. Ambassador Hussain added that legality and morality are not going to help Pakistan get out of its predicament especially in providing a solution to the Kashmir issue. When talking about the Pakistan-China policy on Kashmir, Mr. Pitafi said that Pakistan was able to submit its resolution for the Kashmir issue to the United Nations Security Council with China’s support. He suggested that we should keep a constant narrative for Kashmir. Mr. Pitafi added that Pakistani authors seldom write books that explain their side of the picture on the Kashmir issue. Moreover, Pakistanis are not dominating social media when discussions on this topic are conducted. He said that the cause of Kashmir can be disseminated when we pursue two things: stay confident when presenting our narrative and never give up on the cause.
In his closing remarks, Ambassador Baloch said that Pakistan should use its soft power in general and when taking steps to resolve the Kashmir issue. He said the Kashmiri culture must be revived and the example of Kashmir must be taken as an example of development while continuing to collaborate with friendly countries that include our point of view. He was hopeful that South Asia along with Kashmir becomes a region of peace and prosperity.
