Federal Minister for Railways Ghulam Ahmed Bilour has proposed a confederation of Pakistan, India,Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The reason that he has given is that this would promote regional peace and strengthen the economy.
Confederation is not a bad idea for regional peace and prosperity but including India is impossible, given our hostility towards each other and the prospect of it not ending anytime soon, especially not without a resolution to Kashmir, which no one seems to be talking about. With Bangladesh and Afghanistan, a confederation is an excellent idea, given the shared brotherly bond. Afghanistan, at this point in time is under foreign occupation and suffering a civil war. In the long run however, a strong economic and cultural partnership with Pakistan will help it get over its domestic problems. This would also help us especially since we are partners in projects such as TAPI pipeline. Cooperation in other areas also would help strengthen the current trust deficit between the two countries. Bangladesh, formerly a part of Pakistan also stands to gain a lot from this arrangement. Its economy and its tremendous human capital are on the move, something that will greatly benefit our country that is currently hard put looking for reliable trade partners. The leaders of these countries must give peace a chance, end their differences and let their people avail of any opportunity for a better life. With already too much strife and unrest going on in the country, our nation could be best served through weeding out poverty, unemployment, lawlessness and energy crisis. Regional partnership on the model of a confederation has also been favoured by many analysts who believe that this could promote peace and harmony. It is important that the model that Mr Bilour has suggested is based on the EU. The EU has been a success; it has a common currency and intra-travel is also without visa restriction. Factors of the sort have generated a sense of unity among the people.
Such notions however should take into account our status as a sovereign nation. Before inviting India we must focus on resolution of core irritants. So far as peace is concerned, there is no harm in having good friendly relations with the neighbours. However, peace at the cost of Kashmir is unacceptable. These leaders who are talking of confederation must not forget that New Delhi has reneged on its promise made to Kashmiris and the UN to hold an impartial plebiscite. The Valley remains a nuclear flashpoint. Foregoing the confederation would be a much lesser sin than giving up on Kashmir.