Click to listen audio of Speech of Nasser Khan Janjua at Central Asian Conference held in Islamabad
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The National Security Advisor Lt. General (retd) Nasser Khan Janjua on Wednesday said Pakistan and Central Asian States formed a Future Economic Bloc, adding they would continue to strive for connecting themselves through Kashgar and Tajikistan till Afghanistan achieves stability.
While addressing an International Conference titled “Pakistan: A Land of Opportunities for Central Asian Republics” organized by the National Security Division (NSD) of Government of Pakistan and Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS) in Islamabad, Nasser Janjua said Muslim World would be a major part of the Future Economic Bloc as Pakistan, Central Asia, Iran, Turkey and Gulf Countries were all connected with the land.
“This part which is mix of Eurasia and Muslim Bloc will be reality of the World and the Future Economic Bloc,” the security adviser said.
The adviser said Pakistan could become massive trade hub as it would become trade corridor of the World being a part of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Nasser Janjua said Eurasia made 70 percent of the global population and connected land. “We have resources of huge Eurasia. If we work together we can provide a great prosper future to our coming generations,” he said.
The security adviser said connectivity of the World was possible through the Indian Ocean. He said India, Pakistan and Iran were main Countries which would give access to Central Asia to the Indian Ocean. However, he added, India was not connected with Central Asia while Iran didn’t had any direct link with China.
“Pakistan is the only Country that connects China with the Indian Ocean and Iran,” he maintained adding that Pakistan had a unique geopolitical positioning.
Nasser Janjua was of the view that Pakistan and Central Asian Republics (CARs) relationship was a divine management.
“We have same religion, we are linked by land, we are linked by history and we are the future economic bloc for the World,” the adviser said.
Furthermore, the security adviser said the former Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, and if Pakistan did not stand by Afghanistan, could there have been any Afghanistan today? He said Pakistan stood with Afghanistan that ultimately caused establishment of Central Asian Republics. He said the Eastern European and Central Asian Independent Republics came into being because Pakistan stood with Afghanistan at a very heavy cost.
Nasser Janjua said overwhelmed by Afghan instability, the region had multiple challenges from tackling extremism to outstanding land and water disputes among regional Countries, and drug trafficking.
Terming the scenario as Rebalancing Asia Policy, the adviser was of the view that great powers’ rivalries was being aggravated in Asia wherein China and the Russian Federation were taken as challengers, and called as Revisionist States.
The national security adviser said by injecting instability in Afghanistan, the war-stricken Country was being used to checkmate CARs, Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan.
Nasser Janjua said extremist ideologies were on the rise while the presence of Daesh/ISIS was also threatening the entire region and illegal business of narcotics had flourished to $130 billion.
Likewise, he said now it had become a two-front situation for Pakistan as well as for India in South Asia, as Pakistan had to deal with threatening elements from India and Afghanistan while India was forced to become extra vigilant from borders linked with China and Pakistan.
The adviser said Pakistan’s over reliance on nuclear arsenals to bridge the conventional asymmetry while deterring arch-rivals India from taking any proactive action was brought under stress.
Turning back the instability and extremism being faced by the region, Nasser Janjua said terrorism was their common challenge which they have to fight together. “We are facing common threats,” he maintained.
The adviser said Pakistan was engaged in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) adjoining Afghanistan, Balochistan and Karachi by terrorists but as a nation they fought back against terrorism and won the war.
The national security adviser said Pakistan launched Zarb-e Azb-and Karachi Operations to eradicate terrorism and militancy while they also successfully established writ of the state in Balochistan.
“Pakistani flags were burnt in Balochistan now every Balochi love to carry flag of Pakistan,” he said. “We won war of narrative.”
Nasser Janjua said Pakistan was blamed that it was playing double game and providing safe havens to Taliban. He said Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was hiding in Afghanistan and wanted to destabilize Pakistan by claiming that they were supporting infidels in war against terrorism.
“If Pakistan had support of Haqqani network then Pakistan could ask network to stop TTP to leave its war against the state of Pakistan because TTP leadership is residing in Afghanistan and could be snubbed by Haqqanis,” he argued.
The adviser said it was strange that Pakistan was blamed for terrorism it had been facing and having suffered loss of 60,000 precious lives and $120 billion to its economy.
Earlier at the outset of his address, Nasser Janjua hailed the contribution of the Chief Editor Dispatch News Desk (DND) News Agency Agha Iqrar Haroon for strengthening of Pakistan-CARs relations, and described him a ‘passionate’ about Central Asian culture, having a deep knowledge about the region.
Nasser Janjua said after his return to Pakistan from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan visits, Agha Iqrar Haroon further briefed him about the unrealized potential of the region and apprised that how much fruitful the connectivity between Pakistan and Central Asian Countries could be in the future.
