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

D- 8 Forum. The immense potential of gaining mutual trading benefits with D- 8 Countries
should be exploited to its maximum.
Energy Corridor. Pakistan must exploit its strategic location and develop road, rail and pipe
links with CARs through Afghanistan and Iran and exploit opportunities of Gwadar Port.
Economic Bloc / Environment. As regards collective and cooperative mechanisms, measures
in following forums and areas would help Pakistan benefit from globalization:-
PIC-T. A regional economic bloc comprising Pakistan, Iran, China and Turkey (PIC-T) is
proposed. This can be realized in short to mid-term. The peculiar geographical contiguity
of these countries naturally serves as a trade linkage between East and West. We can
pursue China to join IP Gas Pipe links. Presence of China as an emerging global political
and economic power will stimulate regional blocs.
PRIC. Though achievable in long term, Pakistan must pursue a regional economic bloc
such as PRIC (Pakistan, Russia, India and China) at some point in time later.
FDI. Pakistan must create conducive environment for foreign investors. Potential areas
may include IT, telecommunications, SMEs, mineral development, petroleum exploration,
petro-chemicals, chemicals, infrastructure development, pipelines, agro-based industry,
health, education and technical training.
Foreign Remittances. Though the system has been fairly institutionalized, the
government must take further steps to check illegal system of ‘hundi’ and ‘hawala’.
Cash Flow. The government must further facilitate trans-world cash flow. Advancements
in the field of IT must be fully exploited. However, necessary checks and balances must be
ensured to obviate terrorists’ financing, money-laundering and plundered money deposits
in international banks.
Cultural Exchange. Foreign culture has only found its place here due to a vacuum created due to the
absence of our own cultural foot-print. We must therefore propagate the rich cultural heritage of our
country abroad especially through Drama and Fashion Industries and Halal Food Products, being our
strength. We must educate our masses on the difference between modernization and westernization,
while maintaining own cultural identity.
Domestic Public Policy. Necessary policy level measures would also be required at home, which
include:-
Extremism and Religious Intolerance. Extremism has permeated our society and this
phenomenon must be addressed on priority. To that end, we must follow the principle of mutual
co-existence to transform ourselves into a pluralistic society. The notion of mutual co-existence
is not only an important dimension of globalization but is also clearly ordained in our great
religion. Pakistan’s social construct, norms and values have traditionally been mellow and
affable. We are known for our hospitality, benevolence and compassion. Let our culture not be
hijacked by a few misled who want Pakistan to be thrown in the darkness of their obscurantist
thought. Religious intolerance be addressed through following means:
Diplomatic engagement with countries which are fuelling this menace.
Regulatory mechanism for financial support of madrassahs in Pakistan.
Check patronage of proscribed organizations by some political parties.
Soft Image of Pakistan. We must project our soft image to the world. But to project this image,
we must first develop all those attributes which are essential for improving our general outlook.
Case in point is ‘intolerance’. To this end, we must ensure that our education system is proponent
of the same analogy and there are no dissimilarities.
Migration. Being an important aspect, and to have a holistic approach, attention is also recommended in
following domains:-
Trans-National Movement of People. Since Pakistan’s decision to join the GWOT, our
country has been host to frequent movement of undesirable elements. Raymond Davis and scores
OPINION Vol.1 No.1 76 June 2013