Bumpy politics, undue interinstitutional interference, inefficient diplomacy and bilateral relations, turtle-slow economic growth, and ethnic divide are the hallmarks of today’s Pakistan – a seventy-five-year old country of unwise leadership. Moreover, Pakistan is a reluctant country to learn from others and even too shy to open its doors for new ideas and developments to improve its neighbourhood and regional cooperation.
Just look around for the testimony. Several countries are struggling to convince Pakistan for joint ventures in trade, improved bilateral economic relations and business. Repeatedly, economic experts have talked about the importance of bilateral and multilateral regional cooperation with the Central Asian Republics. But, the required success is not yet seen.
The young CAR states have economically grown more rapidly in about thirty years than us. Indeed, there is a lot to learn from them. The land-locked Kazakhstan is taking the lead and playing a central role in the regional strategic and economic cooperation, not their own but playing their role in neighbourhood connectivity. In the last thirty-year diplomatic relations, Pakistan could not harness the trade and regional cooperation potential. Time to act now expeditiously.
In a meeting last week, Kazakhstan Ambassador Yerzhan Kistafin shared his “hope” to have a green-signal from Pakistan to launch direct flights from their two airports by a Kazakhstan private airline. The renewed hope looks towards the next month (June 2023). He is expecting this major break-through between the two countries since he arrived in Pakistan. After some tough-time from the previous (PTI) government, he is happy that the present government has taken the airline close to its launch. Best of luck for both countries. Certainly, it would cut the cost to the connectivity between the citizens of two countries, and improve regional outreach.
The recent parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan is being termed as a hallmark of futuristic vision and wisdom of President Kassym Jomart Tokaev. Just in a brief time of six weeks, the Kazakh president has taken several significant steps towards economic prosperity, regional connectivity and strategic cooperation. A better future is just ahead for Kazakhstan along with the supremacy of the parliament that all the Kazakh stakeholders believe in.
Ambassador Kistafin believes in the President Kassym Jomart Tokaev vision of political transformation that is fast happening in Kazakhstan now, with an aim to liberalize the Kazakh society with a view to implementing democratic reforms, which ostensibly is a very important milestone in the history of Kazakhstan. Besides internal democratization, President Kassym Jomart Tokaev is taking vigorous steps to improve bilateral ties in the region. Though Ambassador Kistafin says that “bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and Pakistan are excellent”, Pakistan still has to act more proactively to improve trade and connectivity. The launch of direct flights shall be on top priority, followed by exchange of trade and cultural delegations. Prolonged negotiations waste time and deliver nothing.
The trade and industry sector of both countries shall focus on repeated single-country exhibitions. A couple of the same sorts of exhibitions were organized lately, but with quite a low visibility. Every initiative between the two nations needs larger and extensive visibility through the leading media outlets. Bureaucracies on both sides to think beyond the third and fourth tier media. It hasn’t served the objective in the three decades.
Trade Development Authority of Pakistan and the Kazakh counterpart agencies shall show more responsible working relations. Both countries shall realize the potential of leading media groups with reciprocal initiatives to close the trade and cultural ties between the citizens of two nations.
Having the two-decade experience in festivals development, Devcom-Pakistan may help in the development of multifaceted Kazakh-Pakistan Festivals on the pattern of Pakistan Mountain Festival that is the globally known brand and voice of Pakistan’s mountain people.
