Any vacuum in Afghanistan would make China vulnerable on multiple fronts

Lahore: Dr. Gerhard Wahlers, Deputy Secretary General and Head of European and International Cooperation of Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), has said that Germany would support all efforts to bring people of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan closer to ensure a long-term stable future of the region, adding that China could use its influence in this regard. He was addressing the launching ceremony of the “Post-Conference Book” of the “Islamabad Trilateral Dialogue: China-Afghanistan-Pakistan”, in collaboration with the Pakistan-China Institute and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), here at Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS), on Thursday.

“Asia is the most dynamic continent of this world but is facing political, security and social challenges.” He further said, emphasizing that the EU has largely brought peace in the Europe.

Chairman Senate Defence Committee, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, who also heads Pakistan-China Institute, in his address, said: “Afghanistan forms the lynchpin of regional security and stability in the region as the instability within this heart of Asia translates unerringly into insecurity without, while a peaceful and stable Afghanistan means a peaceful, stable, secure and prosperous region,” he said. In view of the key role of China, Senator Mushahid said that China has both economic as well as security stakes in Afghanistan.

Senator Mushahid further said that any vacuum in Afghanistan would make China vulnerable on multiple fronts, one is in the Western province of Xinjiang while other could be the proposed projects related to Silk Road Economic Corridor.

Former Ambassador to Afghanistan and Secretary, National Security Division, Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq, said that emerging Pak-Afghan relations, in the context of NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan, are providing significant opportunities for two countries to strengthen bilateral cooperation.  He said that around 500,000 Afghan refugee children are getting education in the Pakistani schools, while more than 1,200 Afghan children cross the border daily to attend English-medium schools in Pakistan, via Torkham . “We share soft power of similar culture and civilization on both the sides on which the outreach of this relationship should be maintained”, he said.

Ahmed Rashid, distinguished author of ‘Descent into Chaos: The US and the Disaster in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia’, also honored the ceremony with his worthy views. He stated that time is running out, so Pakistan must act wisely and immediately in the right direction. “Only solution is that we should encourage the dialogues among the neighboring countries to find peaceful solutions of conflicts affecting the whole region.” He said.

On the occasion diplomats, researchers, experts, analysts and strategists shared informative remarks during panel discussions.

This post conference book is the follow up of two day long Trilateral Dialogue of China, Afghanistan and Pakistan held between October 19th 2014 and October 20th 2014 under the chairmanship of Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed who established the platform to discuss the current security and political situation in Afghanistan, its implications for neighboring countries, and the way forward.