Pakistan: Political Economy of Peace

If Pakistan’s new military government    is serious about reviving the economy,    it will have to consider declaring unilateral peace with India. It needs to rethink its entire foreign policy and strategy regarding the region, but most specifically it must realise that the road to peace and to economic revival runs through Kashmir and through India. This policy does not in the least imply that Pakistan abandon supporting all just causes and stop protecting its borders and its sovereignty. It does suggest, however, that if Pakistan is to have any say in the comity of nations, and if it is to exist and function as a viable, independent state, it has to put its economic house in order. For this, it is imperative that the political economy of peace become the foremost plank of the present military and subsequent governments.

This is not the first time that Pakistan has come close to being labelled a ‘terrorist state’, with real or perceived impressions that institutions of the state are involved in adventurous activities supporting a number of so-called independence struggles. If it is merely a misconstrued perception, something which all our governments claim it is, that Pakistan is involved in providing help and assistance, especially military training, to groups across the globe, then public positions have to be maintained which dispel all such impressions. Not just empty claims and promises, but concerted action will need to be taken to underscore the point that Pakistan provides nothing but moral support to these movements and struggles. If, on the other hand, there is some element of truth in the allegations that institutions of the Pakistani state are actively training and involved in these various struggles, it is time for a major rethink.