MUNICH, GERMANY: Muhammad Taimur Fahad Khan (Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad - ISSI), Sheharyar Khan (National Dialogue Forum - NDF) and Dr. Steffen Kudella (Hanns Seidel Foundation - HSF) discussed the political development of Pakistan and its regional role with Verena Kasirye (HSF Munich) in the HSF in-house podcast series “Global Perspectives.” The discussion covered the recent change of political power in Pakistan, Pakistan’s overall regional role and responsibility, the challenges the country faces after the takeover of the Taliban in Afghanistan, and the Foundation’s history of engagement in Pakistan and work with registered Afghan refugees.
HSF Resident Representative Dr. Steffen Kudella said:
Being a neutral observer living in Pakistan, the recent change of government shows that institutions here are working as per their constitutional roles and responsibilities. […] Pakistan’s constitution won, […] this is a remarkable achievement! […] Now all expect the new government to tackle the most pressing issues the country faces: most of all economic underdevelopment and the rising inflation.
When being asked about Pakistan’s regional interests, he stressed:
Pakistan’s main interest is regional stability, and the Pakistani government is willing to pursue any means needed to support this long-term goal. But this goal is very difficult to achieve in a fragile neighborhood. […] Pakistan is not only a nuclear-armed country, but a regional power, the 5th most populous country in the world and it has the world's second-largest Muslim population. Beyond doubt, Pakistan has legitimate security interests in South Asia. The international community needs to engage with Pakistan accordingly.
The Pakistani research analyst Muhammad Taimur Fahad Khan analyzed Pakistan’s regional role as follows:
Pakistan’s interests in Afghanistan are majorly security-centric: […] cross-border terrorism activities, […] drug trafficking and […] spillover militancy. Pakistan also wants successful and smooth repatriation of Afghan refugees that are being currently hosted in Pakistan […] when peace and stability returns to their homeland.
The public policy and development professional Sheharyar Khan focused on the present situation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan. During the discussion, he highlighted:
According to the United Nations, there are 1.4 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan. This is the third largest refugee population in the world […] and there are very little prospects of them returning. Mancy critics feel that Pakistan has historically been very generous to Afghan refugees.
He also highlighted the constructive role of the HSF-NDF collaboration for the capacity building for registered Afghan refugee students in Pakistan through their Hanns Seidel Scholarship Program (HSSP).
ISSI is a long-standing partner of HSF in the field of regional dialogue. NDF is implementing HSSP with HSF.
You may find the complete podcast recording (in English) online at https://www.hss.de/themen/internationale-zusammenarbeit/#c50901. For more information on HSF Pakistan please visit pakistan.hss.de. Press contact: islamabad(at)hss.de.