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CAR regionalism and Pakistan


by Prof Shabir Ahmad Khan in The News, Nov 16, 2020
The writer is director, Area Study Centre (Russia, China & Central Asia) at the University of Peshawar.
………. There is a realization in CARs to play an active positive role in ensuring sustainable peace in Afghanistan. CARs are ultimate stakeholders in the peace of Afghanistan as it provides the shortest outlet to the region in the southern direction. Kazakhstan has appointed a special representative for Afghanistan, Uzbekistan has sincerely offered its services to host sessions of intra-Afghan dialogue and is ready to extend its railway and energy projects via Afghanistan to Pakistan, Turkmenistan has been playing a positive neutral role since the 1990s while Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are desperate for peace in the country to see their electricity export project to Pakistan materialized. CARs have influence and can neutralize and exert pressure in Northern Afghanistan to insulate different groups from spoilers. Pakistan has influence in the southern belt of Afghanistan, and both CARs and Pakistan can be instrumental in achieving sustainable peace in Afghanistan.

The Central Asian-Pakistan integration via Afghanistan through TAPI, CASA, Uzbekistan’s Railway and Energy Projects and highways will be more than enough for Afghanistan to sustain its economy, to effectively address the issue of narcotics and to substantially reduce its dependence on foreign aid. Pakistan is naturally faced towards Central Asia because South Asia offers almost nothing to Pakistan in terms of regional integration until the Kashmir dispute is resolved according to UN resolutions. The Sino-Pakistan strategic and economic partnership under the BRI and CPEC and the Pakistan-Russia entente and growing strategic and economic cooperation reinforce Central Asia-Pakistan integration via Afghanistan. The North-South Corridor can be developed from Central Russia, via Central Asia – Afghanistan – Pakistan to Iran, South Asia, Indian Ocean and beyond instead of land-Sea (Caspian)- land and Sea (Arabian).

Though CPEC provides an alternate route for access to Central Asia via the KKH, the historical and most economic access to Central Asia is via Afghanistan. The western route of CPEC provides additional connectivity to CARs via Afghanistan-Torkham, Ghulam Khan and Chaman along Pak-Afghan border. Pakistan therefore welcomes the new regionalism in Central Asia and considers itself a part of the region and the process. In fact, Unesco’s 1978 definition declares Pakistan a Central Asian country geographically. The new regionalism in the heartland of Eurasia also bode well for the effective implementation of integration plans under the BRI and the Eurasian Union.

The China-Iran agreement effectively kicked India out of the race for Central Asia and also provides opportunities to Pakistan for enhanced regional cooperation. According to one source, China will invest $600 billion in Iran during the next 25 years as per the recent agreement signed between the two countries. It is obvious that Iran will join CPEC creating a win-win situation as far as regional commerce and trade is concerned. Beijing’s presence in Tehran will substantially reduce Washington’s pressure on Iran.

The US’s influence in the region has been waning due to self-proclaimed challenges such as countering China’s growing influence in the region, Iran’s rivalry, and deteriorated relations with Russia which still enjoys a greater say in Central Asia due to the Tsarist and Soviet legacies. https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/744238-car-regionalism-and-pakistan