Pakistan: Strategic Challenges and Opportunities
International Institute of Strategic Studies
London,
September 18, 2009
Director General Mr John Chipman,
Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I wish to thank the Institute for inviting me to share my thoughts on ‘Challenges and Opportunities’ facing Pakistan. This Institute has earned a great name. Through decades of quality research you have made great contributions to public policy.
We have a close association with this Institute.
In July 2007, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto spoke here about the future of democracy in Pakistan.
Today, I stand before you as a symbol of her struggle and democracy at work.
Pakistan and UK are bounded by a long history, Common ideals of democracy, and a Joint commitment to global peace. A million Pakistanis in Britain also link the two countries.
We appreciate Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s role in enriching the Friends of Democratic Pakistan. We value the much enhanced aid of £665 million to Pakistan spread over the next four years.
Ladies and Gentlemen, two weeks ago Prime Minister Gordon Brown spoke from this platform.
He also touched upon issues and challenges that have direct relevance to our national security and common interests.
The challenges we face are great, but greater is our resolve to overcome those challenges.
We are passing through difficult times.
In times like these we must recognize and seize opportunities, seizing opportunities requires taking bold decisions - we can no longer avoid taking firm decisions.
A decision delayed is not a problem avoided; it is a crisis in waiting.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Pakistan’s tribal regions have often been described as the epicentre of militancy and international terrorism.
Militants and militancy were not created in a vacuum. They have been the product of a deliberate policy to fight the rival ideology.
We, the free world adopted a novel strategy for this purpose. The strategy was based on the exploitation of religion to motivate Muslims around the world to wage jehad.
We described the Jehadi leaders in those days as “moral equivalents of George Washington”.
The strategy worked well.
But then we also made some mistakes.
After the retreat of foreign forces, Afghanistan was abandoned and left at the mercy of the warlords and the jehadis. I recall the words of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto to Senior George Bush in 1989. She warned of the grave implications of abandoning Afghanistan in a hurry.
She said, and let me quote her directly, “Mr. President, I fear we have created a Frankenstein that will come back to haunt us”.
Her predictions and fears have come true. Her fears are haunting us all.
Sadly, what we are witnessing today is the outcome of that policy of the 80’s and even earlier.
The policy of using religious extremism as an instrument of war.
We in Pakistan have paid a very heavy price for this policy.
2.5 million drug addicts and Slow economic growth. Pakistan has suffered more than others, for decades we had to host and continue to host millions of Afghan refugees.
The situation was further compounded by the support of international community
to dictatorships in Pakistan, dictatorships, running with the hare and hunting with the hound. For decades dictators played hide and seek with militants for their own political survival.
Years of dancing with the dictators has encouraged the crisis of today.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this however does not mean that democracy cannot deliver.
We are determined to fight. And we know how to fight.
Democracy in Pakistan has taken the challenge head on. It has given political ownership to the war against militants. The Parliament and the state institutions
are on the same wave length.
Democracy has united the nation against terrorists. This is a great example of democracy at work.
The dramatic power of national consensus was demonstrated recently in Swat and Malakand. Democracy has achieved considerable successes. The displaced persons have started returning to their homes in safety.
Let me assure you that we have not come this far at this price, to fail.
We are also determined not to allow anyone to use our territory against a third country.
Pakistan appreciates the support and understanding of the international community for our national endeavours. This support needs to be reinforced.
We expect our friends and allies to make a correct assessment of the challenges we face and to help us.
We need active regional co-operation and understanding rather than resorting to blame game. Pakistan is doing more in self interest.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Pakistan has struggled hard for democratic transformation.
Shaheed Benazir Bhutto made the ultimate sacrifice, so that our nation may live in democracy.
In the past one year, we have traveled a long distance. There is a Functional Parliament, dynamic political activities, independent judiciary, vibrant civil society, and a free media. I can personally attest to that.
The real task now is to make democracy sustainable, indeed irreversible. This requires that democracy should be able to deliver.
The people of Pakistan have great expectations. We urge fellow democracies to support us in this common cause.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Pakistan also faces the challenges of consolidating economic stability. We have taken most difficult and politically unpopular decisions to stabilize the economy. But we still have problems.
We need to create expanded economic opportunities for the teeming millions. It is important that Pakistan is allowed market access to the countries of European Union.
We need trade and not aid.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Pakistan is also confronted with the challenge of building a peaceful neighborhood. We are pursuing a policy of building cooperative relationships with Afghanistan and India. We believe that regional dialogue and cooperation is the way forward.
With India, after the Mumbai attacks, we have had bilateral engagements at leadership level. The next round of talks will take place in New York.
Pakistan is convinced that revival of the composite dialogue process is necessary and in the mutual interest of the two countries.
We also believe that meaningful progress towards resolution of the Kashmir dispute is necessary for durable peace and stability in South Asia.
Terrorist attacks are always directed at democracies. They are also directed against the peace process with India that we have initiated.
Non state actors and supporters of dictatorship have vested interest in fanning conflict. They do not want change in Pakistan to take root.
The international community should keep this in mind as well. It needs to beef up support for the democratic government to fight the militants.
We urge the world to act to strengthen Pakistan’s economy and democracy.
We urge the world to provide us with law enforcement and counterterrorism capabilities.
We need to turn the FoDP (Friends of Democratic Pakistan) process into a truly successful enterprise
I have no doubt that the UK and democracies of the world will play their part.
I assure you that Pakistan will deliver on its part.
Together, we will make a world a safer and better place to live.
The one billion Muslims are at the cross roads of history.
Mohtarma Bhutto believed that a democratic Pakistan is the world’s best guarantee for the triumph of moderation among Muslims of the world.
She laid down her life for democracy.
A European poet once said, “Freedom must be reinvented in every generation.”
“This is our turn. Let us not fail”— she used to say.
Fail her we shall not.
I thank you!