Pakistan’s Strategic Significance
By the Editor

OPENING the high-altitude historic Dry Port at Sust, edging Pakistan and China in the Northern Areas, President General Pervez Musharraf has highlighted Pakistan’s geo-strategic strength as a country capable of providing trade linkages to the regions of Central Asia, China, South Asia and Middle East.

Speaking on the occasion, he said Pakistan will become a trade and energy corridor for China and land-locked Central Asian countries, besides providing linkage to the major regional economic groupings including SAARC, ECO and SCO.

Pakistan is undoubtedly endowed with tremendous geo-strategic importance due to its location at the heart of the regions of burgeoning economies.

It’s evident that without its involvement China, CAS, Afghanistan, Iran, India and the Gulf countries cannot enter into mutually beneficial trade, business and economic relationship.

It’s encouraging that President Musharraf, who is fully cognizant of the importance of the country’s strategic position is engaged in focusing Pakistan’s potential to become trade and energy corridor for all these countries and regions.

Pakistan must exploit its geo-strategic position not only to its own advantage, but also to promote trade among the regional countries to the benefit of their people.

To deliver on this count, however, it is necessary for Pakistan to develop necessary infrastructure such as roads, ports, railways etc, for efficient transportation of the merchandise.

Of-course, it’s a matter of satisfaction that the Gwadar Deep Sea Port is in the fast process of completion.

Other infrastructural facilities are also being provided expeditiously, which is evident from the construction of the Sust Dry Port at the 10,000 feet high Pak-China border.

The stae-of-the-art facility, an elaborate network of infrastructure being put in place across Pakistan and improvement in Karakoram Highway will provide quick connectivity to the Gwadar Port.

What’s important in the strategy to exploit Pakistan’s special location is that it has the futuristic approach to make Pakistan rub shoulders with the developed countries of the world sooner than later.

And the projections of Pakistan’s strategic importance by President Musharraf on the one hand and his eagerness to expeditiously develop the requisite infrastructure to deliver on the other hold ample hope for early and positive results.

As a matter of fact, President Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz seldom spare any opportunity at the regional and international fora to highlight the services and facilities that Pakistan can provide for the promotion of trade and economy in the regions—it provides outlet to.●