ISLAMABAD: Pakistan should increase its influence in the Middle East in order to protect its interests, speakers at a seminar on the ‘Changing Scenario in the Middle East and its Impact on Pakistan’ said on Wednesday.

Some speakers at the seminar, which was hosted by an Islamabad-based think tank called the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (Pips), said if Pakistan does not increase its influence in the Middle East, India will fill the space instead.

Other speakers said Pakistan should establish a military base in the region and called for the formulation of a comprehensive national policy on the region.

The speakers agreed that Pakistan has a lack of interest and information about regional issues and its stance on the Qatar and Saudi Arabia crisis was very general.

They said Pakistan has to take a clear stance on the issue.

It was discussed that Pakistan is directly linked with the current situation as billions of dollars are sent in remittances from the Gulf region to Pakistan.

They said militants in the country seek inspiration from those in the Middle East. Just recently, the so-called Islamic State, based in the Middle East, has opened a chapter for Pakistan and Afghanistan. A stable Middle East is in the interests of Pakistan, they agreed.

The seminar was chaired by former foreign secretary and foreign minister, Inamul Haq who said the idea that Pakistan should establish military bases in the Middle East is not feasible given the limited resources of the country.

He called for increasing the Pakistani workforce in the Middle East instead and strengthening the country’s economy.

He also emphasised on the need to understand the changing scenario in the Middle East and the role of the US in this context and urged the government to maintain a close relationship with Arab countries.

He said the much talked about Muslim military alliance just exists on paper at this point and that it does not have a secretariat or terms of reference yet.

An Arab journalist, Abdur Rehman Matar argued that Pakistan should strengthen its influence in the Middle East due to its direct interest in the region. He also urged Pakistan to establish military bases in the region to secure its interests like Turkey and the US have done.

Senior journalist Haytham Naseer also said Pakistan should take advantage of the situation in the Middle East and called for exploring bilateral relations with each country, rather than treating them as one entity.

Centre for Peace, Development and Reforms Executive Director Asif Luqman Qazi blamed authoritarianism in the Middle East for the disconnect between the state and society and called for more participation by the people in decision making.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2017