UNIVERSITY OF THE PUNJAB
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Expansion of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Harbinger of Regional Peace and Prosperity
No full textThis paper endeavours to make an enquiry and analyse the effects ofexpansion of SCO on the region. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization(SCO) is an emerging regional security organization consisting on China,Russia, and four central Asian states. The organization was officiallyestablished in 2001 with an objective of cooperation in regional security andfighting terrorism. Incognito objective of SCO was to counter increasing USinfluence in the region in post 9/11 scenario. Presence of NATO forces inChinese and Russian backyard was detested by both regional powers thusstimulating swift formation of SCO. Pakistan and India being two importantregional players could not remain oblivious of this significant development andapplied for its membership in 2006 and 2014 respectively. The decade longdeliberations culminated into receiving Pakistan and India as full timemembers during 15thSCO summit held at Ufa (Russia) on 10 July2015.Admittance of the two nuclear armed states having large populations,improved economies and large standing armies added new dimensions inSCO’s framework. By virtue of this long awaited expansion, Pakistan hasrenewed prospects to contribute in regional peace and stability by integratingwith SCO member states economically and militarily. Moreover, under theSCO flagship, Pakistan can improve its relations with majority of itsneighbours being members of SCO. The enduring geo-economic and geopolitical interdependencies will diminish chances of multilateral conflicts thusprospects of lasting peace and prosperity have immensely increased
Regional Identities in Quest of Separate Provinces: A New Challenge for the Pakistani Federation
No full textHistorically, the centre-province relationship in Pakistan has remainedproblematic. However, the federation has made an effort to satisfy thenumerous autonomy demands of smaller provinces through the 18thamendment in the constitution. This development has underpinned themobilization of minority groups in certain provinces for the creation of newprovinces in their respective regional bases. The majority groups of relatedprovinces seem reluctant to endorse such demands. Equally, the provinces ofSindh and Balochistan have discarded the creation of new provinces forcertain reasons. Sadly, the issue has been politicized for the pettyconstituency politics by certain political parties.The federation seems hesitant to fulfil the demands as it might open thePandora’s Box of representation and distributional issues that would beunaffordable for the turbulent federation which is already experiencingnumerous problems. However, the demands for new provinces that haveconsiderable popular support should be materialized. This paper suggests thatthe issue should be resolved rationally through dialogue and consensus.The analysis reveals that many demands are difficult to be fulfilled by thefederation. However, it appears that the demand for a new province in southPunjab is relatively reasonable. It seems that the division of Punjab woulddilute the perception of Punjabi dominance in politics of Pakistan. Therefore,this paper contends that the division of Punjab on administrative basis willimprove the capacity of federation to manage ethnic diversity
Growing Geo-economic and Geo-strategic Interests of India in Afghanistan: Implications for Pakistan
No full textThe tragic event of 9/11 changed not only the global political environment of the world but also altered the security and political environment of South Asian region. A change in Pakistan’s foreign policy towards Afghanistan was witnessed. Since Pakistan’s emergence as a separate independent state, its dispute with Afghanistan on Durand Line has substantially influenced the course of its foreign policy towards Afghanistan. The issues in Afghanistan directly affect Pakistan in the domain of politics, economics and society. The troubled relations between the two states gave a chance to India to win thesympathies of Afghanis after 9/11.India emerged as a strong regional player and established good relations with Afghanistan by helping them. To secure its interests in Afghanistan India also established good relations with Iran. They share some common motives. Both the countries abominate the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and feared of the exportation of militants to their own soil. So far friendly ties between India and Afghanistan always remain as a source of anxiety for Pakistan. India participated in Bonn Conference 2001 which underlined the base of political and constitutional structure for Afghanistan. India is regarded as a positive actor by most of Afghans contrary to Pakistan. The paper examines the strategic interests of India in Afghanistan and its subsequent impacts on Pakistan
US Withdrawal from Afghanistan: Implications for Pakistan
No full textThe US Exit Strategy 2014 from Afghanistan has now entered one of their final phase, which happens to be the Withdrawal from Afghanistan. The US has already lessened its troops, though there were certain changes after Trump came to power. But still there is a looming confusion which exists regarding the aftermath of the event. That is how this Withdrawal will come to play and what would the Afghanistan’s post-US withdrawal would look like. Moreover, Pakistan will also be affected in more than one ways. The US is going to be leaving quite a vacuum upon which many regional and foreign powers have set their eyes on. India, Iran, China and Russia are all going to be a part of the post-US Afghanistan but this might only produce more instability. Moreover, it will have drastic security, political and strategic implications for Pakistan. The picture which comes to the mind is going to be of an everlasting loop of security complexes and strategic undertones after the withdrawal
Energy Policies of Pakistan; A Comparative Analysis (1994-2013)
Get PDFEnergy has got significant political concern for the stability of a country. Despite huge indigenous potential and geographical significance Pakistan showed little interests in exploiting its own energy resources to minimize energy crisis. There is a huge gap between demand and supply of energy that has increased the use of imported oil for energy generation in Pakistan. The research study focuses on energy policies of Pakistan since 1994, resulting in energy crisis. Qualitative approach was employed to construct the research design. The results indicate that the use of indigenous energy resources both renewable and nonrenewable would minimize the prevailing energy crisis in Pakistan. So it is concluded that future of energy mix exists, but serious efforts are required to effectively make use of renewable and non-renewable energy source only through the implementation of sound and effective policies
Indo-Pak wars (1948, 1965, 1971, 1999): Projecting the Nationalistic Narrative
No full textThis study investigates the four major wars between India and Pakistan in the past 52 years in one Pakistani popular and one elite newspaper. Through the textual analysis technique, it was found that Pakistan print media applied nationalistic and highly patriotic approaches instead of doing professional and objective reporting on the four wars in the past. While India was criticized for war-mongering and jingoism, the warring policies of the Pakistani governments were eulogized. Though the key thematic strategies identified in this study like ‘Kashmir being an integral part of Pakistan, India being the sole enemy and the need for unity among Pakistanis’ remained consistent in the discourse, the role of UN and invocation of religion saw significant shifts since the 1965 war
Chinese Economy under Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping
No full textEconomic development aims at building a healthy community which in turnstrengthens institutions of a state. Economic Development can also be reflectedthrough soft power, which is not only a diplomatic tool but also a booster for a state's economy. Chinese economic development is a synthesis of two ideologies one attributed to Mao Zedong and the other to Deng Xiaoping. Mao and Deng have contributed to Chinese economic development by initiating compatible economic policies in their respective eras. Their economic policies are influenced by Karl Marx and Adam Smith respectively. Mao a staunch supporter of centralization of economy opted for the theory Marxism; choosing Marxism enable him to strengthen the economy of China at the domestic level. On the other hand, Deng Xiaoping is associated with liberalizing of Chinese economy. The ideas of free trade and facilitation of foreign investors is the mainstay of Deng’s economic policy. In the process of liberalizing the Chinese economy, Deng initiated a paradigm shift from curtailed to liberal approach; he followed the footsteps of Adam Smith, the pioneer of free market economy. Privatization, establishment of exclusive economic zones, introduction of new flexible economic policies are the reforms introduced by Deng under the theory of free market economy. Hence, the modern China we see today is a product of the economic policies envisioned by these two great Chinese leaders. This descriptive research looks into the contribution and implication of these economic policies on the Chinese economic system
Contentious Politics in Afghanistan and the U.S. Efforts for Peace (2008-2018)
No full textAfghanistan has been a battlefield for big powers for last four decades. In 1979,Russia invaded in Afghanistan and the U.S. fought a proxy war in the region with the help of Pakistan. Russian withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan under Geneva accord in 1988 caused disintegration of the former Soviet Union in 1991. The Taliban government emerged in Afghanistan in 1994 and a regime of contentious politics started in Afghanistan. It allegedly caused terrorism at local as well as international level. The U.S. alienated itself from the region after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. In September 2001, Osama Bin Laden purportedly attacked the U.S. security hub Pentagon and economic hub World Trade Centre. America retaliated with cruise missile and invaded in Afghanistan in 2001. After the U.S. claim for killing Osama in May 2011 in Abbotabad, Pakistan, decided to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan in 2014. The U.S. wishes to sustain peace in the region after its withdrawal. It intends to ensure all the conflicting parties that they should come on table for a peaceful bargaining. The U.S. is rehabilitating Afghanistan with her allies. Afghanistan was destructed during the war on terror. This paper is based on the theory of contentious politics introduced by three American sociologists, Sidney Tarrow, Charles Tilly, and Doug McAdam. The tipping point theory is also used in the backdrop of 9/11 incident. It is explained with primary as well as secondary sources
Political Efficacy and Patterns of Online and Traditional Media Consumption among University Students
No full textOnline media has posed some serious threats to conventional media, as people are spending more time on it than traditional media. Online media has changed political and social attitudes of people. Different researches indicate positive effects of online media usage on political efficacy among students. This study aims to explore the difference in the level of political efficacy between the users of traditional and online media. A survey was conducted among 250 university students. Results show shift from traditional to online media among Pakistani students. It is found that university students have very little trust in the political system and its institutions, yet no statistically significant difference is found in political efficacy among the users of different media. There is no relationship between scores of political efficacy and frequency of Internet usage. Pakistani students seem to think about the political system independently of their media choices
Coastal Tourism & CPEC: Opportunities and Challenges in Pakistan
No full textCoastal tourism has been recognized as an economic booster in several developing countries around the globe. However, in Pakistan this vital role of coastal tourism is hardly realized. Now with the inception of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), coastal tourism has been in the limelight for socio-economic development of the country. Although, coastal tourism is a complicated activity that cuts across many sectors, levels and interests; hence, its‟ sustainability demands a comprehensive planning framework. Keeping in view the immense value of coastal tourism in CPEC, this study has attempted to identify the potential opportunities and challenges in its development in the country. Following a semi structured interview schedule, the data for this study is collected from 37 coastal tourism stakeholders (organisations). The data collected is then anlaysed through STEEP (Socio demographic, Technological, Economic, Environmental and Political) analysis. The STEEP factors were found interrelated that constantly interact with each other in the macro-environment and hence creating opportunities and challenges for coastal tourism development. Both the opportunities and challenges are discussed within major areas like: stakeholders' collaboration/partnership, biological diversity, strategic management planning, political circumstances and the national interest in coastal tourism development. In order to exploit the opportunities and overcome the challenges in the macroenvironment, this study recommended strategic interventions for sustainable coastal tourism development. The proposed interventions can integrate coastal tourism with the national economy, society and environment. Furthermore, this study is on time effort to inform the relevant policy makers for achieving the target objectives of CPEC in coastal zone of Pakistan