Experts want intelligentsia’s input in decision making

Participants of a discussion organised by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) on “New Engagement Parameters with the US” on Tuesday were of the opinion that there was a need for inclusion of the input from the intelligentsia in the decision-making process.
They maintained that a two-way flow of information and analysis between the decision-makers and intelligentsia was necessary for aligning national aspirations with domestic and international realities.
Prof Sajjad Naseer of the Lahore School of Economics, who was the main speaker, argued that the US was shifting its focus from Europe to the Asia Pacific, which was creating new challenges and opportunities for the states in the region as well as the countries straddling it.
He termed the US engagement with India as part of its strategic reorientation and called for a Pak-China alliance in response to the Indo-US nexus.
Prof Naseer was of the opinion that Pakistan was unable to capitalise on the opportunities being thrown up by the transformation in the international strategic scenario because of its internal economic problems and political instability.
Defence analyst Lt Gen (r) Saleem Haider argued that there was a need for a serious self-assessment in Pakistan before embarking on a quest for establishing new engagement parameters with the US.
Foreign policy analyst BA Malik maintained that since Pakistan had become overly dependent on the US out of fear of India, there was a serious need for addressing
the fear factor with respect to
India in Pakistan.
He called for a rethink of Pakistan’s India policy and worried that if Pakistan would not take peace with India seriously, a time might come that India might not be interested in talking to Pakistan on the latter’s terms. Ambassador Qurban argued that water issues between India and Pakistan needed to be resolved on a priority basis.