National 3 (Spotlight Weekly)

Pakistan's Changed Role In South Asia

By Madhav Kumar Rimal

The Iraq war and post Saddam Hussein era will have serious repercussions far and wide including South Asia. Smaller nations like Nepal with added vulnerabilities of being land-locked by giant countries must be getting concerned about the possible fallouts they might have to face in the coming days. The impotency of the United Nations Organization to stop the Iraq war has raised a big question mark about its utility and even its very existence. The situation has accentuated the importance of Pakistan and her role in the South Asian region in future. Nepal's relations with Pakistan ever since they entered into diplomatic relationship more than four decades back has remained mostly cosmetic so far. Nepal's conservative foreign policy and Pakistan's indifference emphasized by her continual domestic constraints had posed great stumbling blocs in widening and strengthening the relationship. Nepal's relations with Pakistan would have taken a different course right from the beginning of the emergence of Pakistan as a sovereign independent nation, had the Nepalese rulers at that time accepted the British offer of restoring a part of Nepalese territory lost in a war against the colonial power in the early 19th century. This would have given Nepal a contiguous frontier with present Bangladesh (then East Pakistan). Lack of vision and foresight in the Rana rulers sealed Nepal's fate as India locked small kingdom. This has placed Nepal in a very unfortunate situation, which has proved to be the insurmountable handicap adversely affecting Nepal's economic, social, and political development even now. The active role played by the Indian government led by Jawahar Lal Nehru, India's first prime minister after independence, in dethroning the century old Rana regime in Nepal has been influencing the course of events in this Himalayan kingdom even in the present time. Nepal's lopsided behavior has further compounded her physical constraints seriously impeding her sovereign status. Even though marked changes in the international relations, nuclearization of the two bigger nations of South Asia and fast development of Tibet, Nepal's northern neighbor, will have a definite impact on Nepal's future policies, determined efforts on the part of Nepalese statesmen to steer their country on a more realistic course have become imperative if Nepal is to achieve any kind of tangible progress to alleviate the grinding poverty of the teeming millions soon. And this demands that she must not only break away with her stereotyped thinking but also restructure her relationship with neighbors and partners in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), to further mutual and regional interests. Even though SAARC, established about eighteen years back is still to mature, all member nations must pool their efforts to develop this organization into an effective tool for the speedy progress and development of the whole region. Even Nepal, whose stake in strengthening the organization is greatest, has failed to focus on this important aspect due to the self-oriented policies at home and weakened policy abroad of the Nepalese rulers in the last twelve years. Having excellent relations with all the member nations of the SAARC, Nepal is the only country that can play effective role in removing the cancer of hatred and acrimony that has been plaguing South Asia. The one issue for generating this kind of situation and that is standing against the speedy economic development of one of the poorest regions of the world, South Asia, and preventing it from emerging as powerful and influential, is the long standing problem of Kashmir. The denial of using their birthright to choose their own destiny by force of arms to the Kashmiri people by the Indians for more than five decades and the hesitation of the United Nations and the world powers to resolve the issue so far is a miscarriage of international justice. Such examples are rarely found in the annals of the world. To deny the opportunities of a better life to over a billion and a half deprived people could be nothing less than inhuman behavior. Hordes of Indian and world thinkers and statesmen have castigated various Indian governments for refusing to implement the UN resolution on Kashmir to hold a plebiscite. Despite all the statements and criticisms Kashmir problem is not that easy to be resolved soon. Persistent efforts by the activists of human rights are sure to bring justice to the suffering peoples of Kashmir in not very distant future.

Even though Nepal is small and handicapped by its geography, still it can play a prominent role in the affairs of the region by virtue of its abiding faith in peace and non-interference in the internal affairs of the countries of the region. But first she has to set her house in order and march forward to economic development. One of the most important ways to achieve this objective is through intra-regional cooperation. For this, development of intra-regional trade is the most integral part of the cooperation. Developing countries in South Asian will not be able to compete in the open global market on their own as erosion of preference margins is sure to pose an almost insurmountable challenge. Moreover, the developed countries of the world do not offer equitable opportunities to developing countries. Hence the utter necessity of intra-regional cooperation. In other words, regionalism can be developed as a substitute trend to globalization, in special reference to smaller and developing countries. And in this context, both Nepal and Pakistan can play very important role in strengthening SAARC as a bulwark for economic development of South Asia. Although in the last 18 years, SAARC has failed to take off in the manner it was visualized to do and its performance in the most crucial area of economic cooperation has been far from encouraging, there is no reason getting pessimistic. At a time when highly developed countries in the world are exploring new avenues for success through regrouping into economic blocs, South Asia cannot afford to stay immobilized. In a few years not only the World Trade Organization (WTO) but even the South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA) may come into full implementation. Problems besetting SAARC, at the moment, are apt to impel many to view them as ambitious dreams. But, if South Asia is to face the impending challenges successfully, the onus falls on Nepal's and Pakistan's shoulders. Nepal as the only country, which can use its good offices with all members regardless of her size and Pakistan as the second super power in the region, that has to play the balancing role.

India's soaring ambition to attain super power status in the region by developing her nuclear capabilities has generated a great sense of insecurity in the minds of the smaller nations of South Asia. Despite the untiring protestations by Indian statesmen of age old ties and traditional friendship between Nepal and India, Nepalese intelligentsia has not been able to feel reassured due to India's continuous exploitations of Nepal's vulnerabilities. India's baseless accusations that Nepal is providing sanctuary to the I.S.I. activists and encouraging them for terrorist activities against India are only contributing to vitiate the atmosphere. Nepal's traditional political forces are unable to withstand the Indian pressures. Consequently, it has become most imperative for Nepal to develop a new political force that will be able to preserve and safeguard Nepal's long term national interests. And this is where Pakistan can play a definite role. A more nationalistic political force in Nepal will not only stabilize the fragile internal politics of the country but also contribute towards correcting the lopsided foreign policy and will ultimately bulwark the regional cohesiveness.

Whether Saddam Hussein's Iraq was posing any threat to the United States of America is a very contentious issue with the least chances of reaching any consensual conclusion. Still, the USA decided to invade Iraq, and by this act convulsed the political equations all over the world. What kind of repercussions the world shall have to face in the aftermath of the Iraq war is not an easy forecast to make. But, it can be easily visualized that some new equations will emerge. South Asia and even Nepal will not remain unaffected. The inability of the United Nations Organization to prevent the war in Iraq, has eroded the faith of smaller nations in its efficacy. As such, wisdom must impel them to make suitable arrangements for their own safety and security before any kind of emergency happens. Even though Nepal may not be facing any threats from any quarter, but, it would be a great folly on her part to stay complacent without taking any precautionary steps for her defense. Her resources may not permit her harboring ambitious plans in this regard. But she is not short of good friends who would willingly come forward to meet Nepal's meager requirements. What is required imperatively is her determination and good governance to implement the resolution. Politicians with doubtful loyalty have to be totally sidelined and, if necessary, a new breed of honest and patriotic politicians has to be helped to fill in the political vacuum. Other smaller nations of South Asia, too, must be facing similar challenges and must devise ways and means to overcome such obstacles. And the best possible solution would be to enter into a collective defense in a joint security plan. And this brings Pakistan to the center-stage. Pakistan's low key portrait in South Asian affairs has to change. With Pakistan's participation in the collective security plan, politics in South Asia will not only be stabilized but well balanced and the atmosphere of fear and threat will melt away. Indeed, the Kashmir issue between Pakistan and India will continue to plague their mutual relationship and obstruct the progress of the whole region as long it is not resolved. Since this problem has been hanging there for over five decades and does not seem any nearer to resolution if left to the two nations, it has become most imperative that the United Nations, if it can still exercise its authority, took appropriate measures to implement its long standing resolution. India's recent threats of pre-emptive action against Pakistan have further vitiated the atmosphere. Knowing fully well that India is not the United States and Pakistan is not Iraq, the jingoistic outbursts of the Indians could be only for domestic consumption. But such rhetorics cannot go unnoticed even by other smaller countries of the region and would strongly call for the early realization of the concept of collective defense. India's obduracy to permanently defuse the volatile Kashmir situation and her none too covert designs to hegemonise over the South Asian region will continue to prevent SAARC from developing into a strong and vibrant institution. In this era of global interdependence, no country howsoever big and powerful will be able to withstand the vicious competition individually. Since it does not seem possible for the Indians to change their mindset and work magnanimously together with other smaller neighbors for the common good and welfare of all countries of the region, it is becoming crucially important for all smaller member nations of the SAARC to impress upon the biggest and most powerful partner to fall in line with the rest. Pakistan by virtue of being the second largest country and equipped with all the paraphernalia of defense and deterrence has to use its influence to rid the region of all threats and uncertainties. It is the unavoidable exigency of the current global events that if we fail to take necessary measure of self preservation now, it may spell great disaster for all of us in future.