Pakistan and the Russian Connection

Pakistan and the Russian Connection

Dr. Jassim Taqui

Things are moving towards  the Russian Federation. The Pakistan’s Military Establishment moved fast to strengthen the relations with Moscow in the most important field. Now, the news has already started to pour in from Rawalpindi and the Kremlin.

The two countries agreed to hold war games in November 2016 code-named “ Friendship-2016” for the first time in the history of the bilateral relations.

This brings to the fore the proposal of Al-Bab way back in 2011 in a series of articles suggesting  strengthening bilateral relations with Moscow and pursuing the Swiss Model of neutrality due to the dictates of the geopolitics.

In those papers, Al-Bab outlined that the neutrality does not mean disarming Pakistan. Islamabad could continue  its drive to develop its  conventional and nuclear weapons as a deterrence and in view of the fact there are 5 nuclear states in the region.

Additionally, the beauty of neutrality is that it would help improving the relations with India,  the United States, and Afghanistan.

As matters stand, it is Russia, which would be a “game changer.” Even China is showing a keen interest in cementing ties with Moscow within the framework of SCO.

Strengthening military ties with Russia and China is the  only effective answer to the US-India defence pact. Ultimately, the decision-makers within SCO would ensure that the US troops should withdraw from Afghanistan and the entire region of South Asia.

With the marginalizing of the US influence, SCO would be in a position to normalize Pak-Indian relations.

In fact, the United States should be badly missing the services of Anne Patterson ( Ambassador  of the US to Pakistan during the period July 2007 and October 2010).