ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairperson Hina Rabbani Khar has said Gaza war has exposed major powers’ double standards as they were supporting the aggressor instead of the victim.

The world is transforming and people are fighting for primacy for the rule of the world, she said. The war in Gaza and its military and diplomatic support has exposed the major powers with Israel being let off with impunity, Ms Khar, former foreign minister, told a conference here on Thursday. She said South Asia had suffered due to a lack of good bilateral relationships. Pakistan is centrally located in South Asia, and collectively the region has not performed well in addressing the challenges. Countries that do not learn from their mistakes are continuously suffering and history and geography are two constants that cannot be changed, she added.

The conference on ‘Transforming regional dynamics and architecture: Pakistan’s posture’ was hosted by the Centre for Afghanistan, Middle East and Africa (CAMEA).

Director CAMEA Amina Khan in her welcome remarks stated that the regional strategic landscape had been fundamentally reshaped by three major factors: great power competition, events in Afghanistan as well as regional connectivity in South and Central Asia. She said these developments had prompted Pakistan to reevaluate its diplomatic strategies and find ways to navigate its national interests while maintaining its regional influence.

Kawa Hassan, non-resident fellow with Stimson’s Middle East programme, while talking about geopolitical shifts in the Middle East emphasised the transformative impact of recent events in the Middle East. He described Hamas’ actions as a strategic miscalculation, resulting in devastating consequences for Palestinians, while Israel, supported by the US, weakened Hamas and Iran’s axis of resistance. He also warned that the military gains were meaningless without resolving the Palestinian statehood issue. Major challenges remain such as Gaza’s destruction and lack of support from major powers.

Former minister and Chairman BOI Haroon Sharif talked about leveraging economic connectivity in West Asia and said there were multiple powerful economic countries in Asia at present. Physical proximity is an economic advantage. The economic geography continues to overtake the political geography. He stated that connectivity alone does not pay dividends unless backed by private capital and institutions.

Director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington Michael Kugelman, while speaking about non-traditional threats and challenges, said climate change is a very serious threat for Pakistan, which is a light contributor to climate change.

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2024