The session titled ‘Regional Connectivity and Stability?’ at ILF was moderated by Haroon Sharif. The discussion kicked off with comments from Omar Zakhilwal, finance minister and chief economic advisor to former president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai. He was of the view that there is no shortage of ideas, knowledge and projects in the region. The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India Pipeline and the energy sector are a few examples, while forums such as Saarc provide a platform for regional cooperation and connectivity. The real problem lies in the fact that this region considers stability as a pre-requisite of connectivity — its achievement only ensured through military operations. He offered a solution to this issue by suggesting the separation of economics from politics. In his opinion, if Pakistan had easier access to Central Asia (via Afghanistan), energy needs of the country could have been easily met and Pakistan’s average economic growth (which has stood at 4pc for the last 10 years) could have been doubled every 14-17 years.
Nasim Zehra added that although economic integration is essential for progress in the region, some sort of convergence on security issues must be reached among the countries of the region. She maintained that the security dynamics and the economy cannot be separated, as has been witnessed in the last 30 years in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. Anatol Lieven, a British author, journalist and policy analyst, opined that economic development cannot be taken into account without considering the security issues on ground. Hina Rabbani Khar made a strong point for favouring economic progress, which she said needed to trump politics, but unfortunately in Pakistan-India relations politics precedes economy. She gave the example of the Anglo-French relationship, in which (despite a troubled history) both countries learned to engage with each other on the economic front to their mutual benefit. She stressed that political leaders at the helm of affairs must be committed to long-term legacies, and should not give in to short-term gains.
According to Khar, an implementation deficit is the main problem of our governments. She added that normalisation of the relations between Pakistan and India is the way forward for the region, and that it can be achieved through trade.
Her remarks about the role of leadership in a country were appreciated by the audience when she said, “It is the responsibility of the leaders to create public opinion on certain issues.”
Jean-François Cautain, ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan, reiterated Khar’s views that peace and stability were the two greatest achievements of Europe which, in turn, have played a significant role in economic integration of their region. The consensus of the panel was that intra-regional connectivity has become inevitable for the region to progress, and that separation of economics from politics is imperative. The session lacked interaction among the panellists, which would have made it more engaging.
