Pakistan despite of many challenges is on the right path. The country’s economy grew with the GDP rate of 4.7 percent in 2016. According to World Bank estimation it will reach 5.2 percent in 2017 that will be highest in nine years. Peace has return to major cities and the violence is all time low since 2003. Several institutions have initiated reforms which are bringing fruits. Many development projects are underway under the auspices of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which will transformed the regional dynamics. Civil military relations are better and there is a considerable understanding between the two power houses on the issues of national importance. Democracy is on the path of stability. On the contrary, Pakistan is also facing several challenges, hostile threat to CPEC, shifting of terrorists to rural areas, deteriorating situation along line of control and border issues with Afghanistan.
In 2017, Pakistan has been forecasted to be the world’s fastest-growing Muslim economy ahead of Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey and Egypt, according to London’s The Economist magazine. The growing GDP is due to economic reforms and relatively peaceful environment. The political stability is also playing a key role in smooth economic growth.
2016 saw low incidents of terrorism since 2003. Operation Rad Ul Fasad is continuing with full momentum and several sleeper cells of terrorist organizations has been busted. The tireless efforts of Law Enforcement Agencies involved in Karachi operation have brought great results and the peace in Karachi has been restored. The city has seen a growing economic activity in 2016 with investors returning to the metropolis. Furthermore, the development work in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) is in full swing and the government is set to pass the long awaited FATA reforms according to which the jurisdiction of courts will be extended to FATA.
Recently, head of States of the 29 countries including Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif attended the One Belt One Road (OBOR) summit in China.
The presence of so many head of the States indicates the success of the OBOR initiative. During the summit President Xi called for a fast work on the developments projects under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in his address during OBOR summit in Beijing said “It is time we transcend our differences, resolve conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy, and leave a legacy of peace for future generations’’.
Furthermore, civil military relations in the country are in a stable position. The military and the civilian government are on the same page. The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) removed the tweet, in which ISPR chief said that the army rejects the findings of the dawn leaks report. It is a very pleasant development and the need of the time that civil and military leadership are working in collaboration in order to tackle all the challenges faced by the nation.
In a briefing to United States Armed Service committee Lt General Vincent Stewart, the head of US Defence Intelligence Agency said, “India has sought and continues to move to isolate Pakistan diplomatically and is considering punitive options to raise the cost to Islamabad for its alleged support to cross-border terrorism’’.
India’s aggressive posture along the line of control will exacerbate the already volatile regional situation. Any misadventure by Indian forces could result in a nuclear war. On the diplomatic front, New Delhi is portraying Islamabad as State harboring terrorists. In retaliation Islamabad should pursue proactive foreign policy and highlights Indian atrocities in Kashmir.
Recently Indian army awarded officer who tied unarmed civilian to the jeep. The silence of international community on Indian army brutalities is condemnable. United States being the leader of the world is also silent on Kashmir issue. The silence of United States indicates her growing tilt towards India in order to contain China’s rising influence. India’s premier Narendra Modi also refrained from taking part in One Belt One Road (OBOR) summit in Beijing. Many analysts called it a mistake.New geo-strategic alignments are in the making and Pakistan is center to any new alignment due to its vital location in the world map.
The changing regional environment has brought both pros and cons for Pakistan. The country is relatively stable but internal and external threats persists.