Will Pakistan, as a major South Asian country, be able to build a stable relationship with neighboring countries, including India? The caliber of the new administration will be put to the test.
In a general election held late last month in Pakistan, the No. 2 opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), or Pakistan Movement for Justice, won and a new administration led by the party leader Imran Khan as prime minister has been inaugurated.
Khan, a former star player of the nation's national sport cricket, has no experience leading a government. Criticizing the corrupt traits of the two major political parties, which for a long time held the reins of power in the nation's government, he has widened his support.
Rebuilding the country's economy is a matter of urgency. The total amount of foreign currency reserves has sharply diminished and is now at a critical level due to increases in its trade deficit and foreign debt. The country is believed to be in need of assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The problem is that the debt Pakistan owes to China has been growing. China is pushing forward with projects to improve roads and develop thermal power plants in Pakistan as the core of its Belt and Road Initiative, a scheme to create a huge economic zone.
It is also feared that China, which is progressing its development of Gwadar Port in Pakistan, might use the facility as its own military strongpoint in the future.
Correct tilt toward China
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that there is "no rationale" for an IMF bailout that pays off Chinese loans to Pakistan. Assistance that is extended by an international organization must not be used for China's military expansion.
The new administration should recognize the necessity of correcting its tilt toward China.
The administration's relationship with its military is also a focal point.
In Pakistan, the armed forces have repeatedly carried out coups d'etat, maintaining a behind-the-scenes influence. Khan is believed to have been backed by the military in the latest election. It would be difficult to ignore the intentions of the armed forces, whose source of power is based on tensions with neighboring countries.
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, a powerful figure in the previous administration, was found guilty of corruption just prior to the general election and was subsequently imprisoned. Sharif's moves to improve relations with India, a country that has been in conflict with Pakistan over the territorial rights of the Kashmir region, triggered a backlash from the armed forces that led to his downfall.
The Pakistani forces are said to be supporting the Taliban, a formerly dominant force in neighboring Afghanistan. To improve public security in its border areas with Afghanistan, it is essential for the United States, which is continuing its war on terror, and the new Pakistani administration to cooperate.
With Pakistan possessing nuclear weapons, as India does, turmoil in its domestic politics and a deterioration of its relations with neighboring countries could become serious global security concerns.
It is also important for the nation to stringently control its nuclear technology and nuclear materials in order to prevent them from getting into the hands of terrorist organizations, among others.
Countries concerned, including the United States and Japan, have to boost their support to Pakistan so that it is able to carry out policies that can contribute to regional stability.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Aug. 27, 2018)
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