OPINION Vol.1, No.1 June 2013 - National Defence University

In an idealistic scenario, where India may seek an energy corridor through Pakistan besides
manifestation of New Silk Road initiative taking roots, Pakistan will definitely get benefited in a big
way. However, it remains to be a distant possibility.
Notwithstanding, gradually increasing Indian economic stakes, may it be in the shape of energy
corridor or other trade equations inside Pakistan, would facilitate overall stability in the region.
Policy Recommendations
The foremost recommendation is to ensure internal stability of Pakistan because the threat of implosion
from within is far more serious than all the external threats including India combined.
Second recommendation is to strive for greater peace in the region through an all inclusive approach with
primacy of normalization of relations with India. Three factors motivate this recommendation:-
Conclusion
First, regional security is likely to be achieved only if at least some degree of cooperation is
attained amongst the primary state actors.
Second, Pakistan and India both cannot further their respective developmental agendas without
bilateral cooperation.
Third, although skepticism prevails yet, there are likely significant security, governance and
economic advantages for both countries, should they find more common grounds.
India has the potential and ambitions too, to secure a key role in the great political struggles of the
next decades. Whether it will, and how soon, depends on variety of factors as alluded above.
Notwithstanding India is being projected as a roaring capitalist success story; she still needs to address
mammoth challenges which are fundamental in nature. At this point therefore, it is too early to call India as
a global player.
Researchers:
Supervisor
M/Gen Muhammad, T/R/Adm Rosaryo (Sri Lanka) , Lt Col Sarfraz and Mr Ghulam Qadir
Mrs Nighat Mehroze
Endnotes
1 Ian Copland, The Princely States, the Muslim League and the Partition of India, The International History Review, Feb 1991,
Volume 13, No 1http://www.jstor.org/ (Accessed on 24 Oct 2012)
2 Alaistair Iain Johnston, Workshop on Assessing China’s Rise: Power and Influence in the 21st Century, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, 27-28 Feb 2009.
3 William H. Avery, China’s Nightmare, America’s Dream: India as the next global power, 2012
4 ‘Report of the Expert Group to Review the Methodology of Estimation of Poverty’, Government of India Planning Commission,
Nov 2009. http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/genrep/rep_pov.pdf (Accessed on 25 Sep 2012).
5 Surjit S Bhalla, Worse than Hindu rate of growth, 28 Jul 2012
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/worse-than-hindu-rate-of-growth/980437/0 (Accessed on 28 Jul 2012)
6 David Smith, The Dragon and Elephant: China, India and the New World Order, 2007, Profile, London, p83
7 NDU, Islamabad NSWC 2011/12 Seminar 2, India – Rising Regional Power with Global Ambitions; Facts and Realities, Part I, p
10.
8 Ian Bremmer, Policy changes; too little, too late, 19 Sep 2012,
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/09/12/subcontinental_divide (Accessed on 24 Jul 2012)
9
Masoodur Rehman Khattak, Indian Strategic Thinking: a reflection of Kautilya’s six-fold policy, Jan 2011
http://weeklypulse.org/details.aspxcontentID=131&storylist=10 (Accessed on 5 Sep 2012).
10 Roger Boesche , The First Great Realist: Kautilya and his Arthashastra”, (Lexington Books: 2002), p53-58.
11 Non-Aligment 2.0, A Foreign and Strategic Policy for India in Twenty First Century, Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi ,
Feb 2012, http://www.cprindia.org/sites/default/files/NonAlignment%202.0_1.pdf, (Accessed on 30 Jul 2012).
12 C. Raja Mohan, Foreign Policy Magazine, “India's Strategic Future”, November 4, 2010.
13 APJ Abdul Kalam and YS Rajan, India 2020, A vision for the new millennium, 1998, Vikings, New Delhi, p269-273.
14 Dr. Manmohan Singh’s address at the Khazanah, Global Lecture Series 2010, Kuala Lumpur, October 2010.
15 Reserve Bank of India.
16 A.T.Kearney FDI Confidence Index 2012, http://www.atkearney.com/gbpc/foreign-direct-investment-confidence-index
(Accessed on 15 Oct 2012).
17 Planning Commission of India.
18 Independent research on top services companies and markets, Sourcing Line http://www.sourcingline.com/outsourcinglocation/india
(Accessed on 24 Sep 2012).
19 Language statistics; English Speaking Countries, http://www.nationmaster.com/red/graph/lan_eng_spe-language-englishspeakers&b_map=1#definition
(Accessed on 24 Oct 2012).
OPINION Vol.1 No.1 41 June 2013