Question of Priorities

Question of Priorities

This is apropos your editorial “Question of Priorities” (May 30). Taking a cue from Nawab Sharif,  the argument present in editorial is odd one, i.e, ‘guns vs butter’- Pakistan’s present economic woes, particularly the power crisis, owe a great deal to defence spending and creating a ‘ balance’ between  the two will pave a way for economic development.
The argument is an over simplification of economic problems facing Pakistan today and requires intellectual scrutiny on several accounts.
First, there is no causative relationship between defence spending and economic challenges/miseries or, to be more precise, between being a nuclear weapons power and lack of electricity.
Rather it is the economic system that allows privatization of energy resources which in the first place  caused of the present power cirisis. So we have the power crisis not because of  nuclear programme.
On the contrary, the national economy organised  around the defend industry has potential to generate an economic revival as happened with the leading nations of world today. Moreover, since pakistan’s nuclear program is indigenous, it is cheap contrary to the conjectured annul  estimates like $2.5 billion  dollars.
Second, there will be no butter if  there is no gun,  i.e, economic development requires a secure strategic environment which nuclear weapons provide.
On a more proactive visible r a balanced role of the political leadership in the nuclear decision making, the onus lies solely on the political leadership as we have witness that the presnt political system has not produced the requisite leadership that genuinely takes interests in these strategic matters.
Third, the policy of engagement with India needs to be understood in the present overall strategic context of the region. The US needs Pakistan’s cooperation in propping up India as a regionlal hegemonist to contain chaina in the region as envisioned in its Asia-Pacific pivot policy.
This means de- escalation between India and Pakistan without the resolution of pending territorial disputes. This configuration of india Pakistan relationship, driven by extra interests, does not promote Pakistan ‘s security in the region.
Supporting ‘regional peace’ on India terms will weaken Pakistan’s strategic power immensely as it has  already lost a significant political capital by allying itself with the US war in Afghanistan. We cannot afford to lose the rest.
Majid Mahmood
Assistant Research Officer
Center for International Strategic
Studies
Islamabad.  
(This is a Letter to Editor Of Dated 9June,2013 in DAWN News paper Pakistan.)