Geopolitical shift could change boundaries in South Asia

CASS-India Analyst

INTRODUCTION:

With the shift of global order for a new geo-strategic architecture in the world, it has created new impact on Asian continent. The South Asian region is going to be a new battleground for competition among top ranking powers in the world. While India is leading the charge, China-US-EU-Russia and Gulf nations are also trying to have their foothold to advance their political interests. The geo-economic interests are going to take over geo-strategic interests, although both are complementary in nature. But this will consume out some smaller players who will have to side with competing powers or perish.

ANALYSIS:

This is a new situation for many South Asian and Central Asian countries who are quite unfamiliar with power dynamics that operate in pyramid like structures – meaning in some areas these powers cooperate with each other where their interests suit, whereas they act against each other where the interests clash.

This has made some countries redundant in the region. A case in point is Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistan pursued most of its policies for decades on the basis that its strategic relevance will earn billions of dollars forever.

Suddenly, no one is interested about Pakistan. This has created a vacuum in the understanding of Pakistani leadership which still pursues a religious or pan-Arabic identity. Interestingly, the pan-Arabic identity is now being converted in favor of a pan-Turkic identity.

As a result, most Pakistani children born today carry Turkic names – a substantial reduction in Arabic orientation is quite visible - and imitating Turkic culture through Turkish drama and following Ottoman era systems.

But it is not going to take Pakistan anywhere. It will remain directionless in foreseeable future due to mismatch in its reality, fantasy, ambitions and false sense of history. However, law of physics says nothing can transform if it does not exist.

Next door neighbor Afghanistan is today more prosperous than Pakistan. The Afghans never gave up on their roots, identity, culture or history how tribal or mediaeval they may be seen by the world. Today, Afghanistan abandons Pakistan and demanding return of territory under Pakistani occupation.

The FATA areas of Pakistan tribal region bordering Afghanistan which were hurriedly merged into Pakistan’s KPK province had been rejected by Taliban and Durand Line is going to be new flash point. This will turn Pakistan’s fantasy of a strategic depth to strategic death.