Pakistan will have to come clear to its neighbors including Afghanistan, Russia, Iran and India and delink itself from historical strategic doctrines to take advantage of its regional potential for economic development.

Ambassador (r) Tariq Fatemi has hoped President Zardari will be able to open a new chapter with Russia in his forthcoming visit to Moscow.

He said Russia needs to be assured that “we will not create trouble in Central Asia, not keep Afghanistan on the boil and also have no interest in creating problems for India.” Fatimi warned that there wouldn’t be any improvement in Pak-Russia relations if Pakistan continues to see Russia through the prism of US.

“Pakistan made a mistake by formulating its policy towards Afghanistan on the basis of ethnic divide”, former foreign secretary Riaz Muhammad Khan said adding, “the United States too committed the mistake of declaring the Taliban beyond the page and lumping them together with Al Qaeda.”

Dr Rifaat Hussain said that many Pakistanis believe that Pakistan’s traditional relations with US had not been very productive and giving us a niche in the world affairs and Central Asia is one of the reasons with which Islamabad should forge cordial relations with CA.

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Ahmad Shakeel Babar
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"If you really want to achieve something the whole universe conspires for you to get your dream realized."