Help maintain balance in S.Asia Pak. tells China

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, MAY 15. Pakistan today appealed to China to play an `active role' in South Asia for maintaining a `regional strategic balance' on the plea that the region was a victim of `hegemony.'

Inaugurating a seminar on ``Pakistan-China diplomatic relations'' organised by the Institute of Strategic Studies to mark the 50th year of diplomatic relations between Islamabad and Beijing, the Chief Executive, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, minced no words in suggesting that Islamabad looked towards Beijing to protect its security interests in the changed global context.

``Unfortunately the end of cold war did not usher in an expected era of peace. In fact, it has led to a change of global equations leading to emergence of regional hegemonies. South Asia is such a victim of regional hegemony, which creates strategic imbalance. Pakistan's security interest lies in maintaining regional strategic balance and in this it would desire an active Chinese role,'' Gen. Musharraf told a gathering of academicians and policy makers.

The observations came close on the heels of the just concluded four-day official visit of the Chinese Premier, Mr. Zhu Rongji, to Islamabad.

The establishment is happy with the visit and has not lost a single opportunity in the last one week to let the world know its feelings on the `historic visit.' The Pakistan Foreign Minister, Mr. Abdul Sattar, and the Finance Minister, Mr. Shakat Aziz, addressed a special press conference here today to highlight the achievements of the visit.

The point made by them was that the visit would go a long way in not only strengthening the existing friendly relations between the two countries but was also significant in the changed global context. Mr. Aziz said that China had promised to invest in projects worth $426 million and maintained that the economic ties between Pakistan and China were poised to reach a new height.

Gen. Musharraf said at the seminar that ``as a close neighbour, China has always played a crucial and positive role for peace and stability of South Asia. This role will remain vital, especially so in the changing (context of) geo-strategic realities.''

Both Pakistan and China would like to see a stable, peaceful and prosperous South Asia. The economic development of the region and the establishment of good-neighbourly relations among the regional countries would benefit not only their people but was also in the interest of the world.

``Together the population of South Asia constitutes more than a fifth of humanity. The nuclearisation of the region three years ago added a new dimension to the perennial tensions which threaten regional peace,'' Gen. Musharraf said.

He was confident that with the emergence of new independent States in Central Asia and their becoming economically active, Pakistan and China would be able to revive and restore the centuries-old commercial ties that were fostered by the ancient Silk Route and were interrupted in the nineteenth century by colonial powers.

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