Deal or double deal by S Tariq

[Zaheerul Hassan]

Pakistan staked a lot when it decided to join the coalition in the global war against terror and suffered losses as a consequence. It is in this backdrop that the Indo-Canadian Agreement is being viewed not as a deal, but a double deal. This view is justified as Canada is an ally within the International Coalition against Terror yet it has chosen to indirectly help an entity that is hell-bent on creation of conditions detrimental to the security of Pakistan.

All things said and done, there is only one course of action for Pakistan under the current circumstances and our security policy makers appear to have astutely recognised it. Pakistan must now turn to its long trusted friend - the Peoples Republic of China to right the imbalance created by the Indo-Canadian Deal.
The recent visit of the Pakistani Chief of Army Staff at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart and the resolve to further strengthen defence ties between the two countries is a step in that direction. In China, we have an ally that has stood by us in the hour of need and relations between the two neighbours, while based upon converging interests have a much deeper foundation that rests on a genuine, deep-rooted people to people affection.

Pakistan must also realise that a movement towards a Sino-Pak Nuclear Cooperation Accord will subject Pakistan to intense diplomatic pressure and even a strategy of indirect coercion from economic angle. All such attempts must be anticipated and withstood at all costs and security linkages, including the inking of a Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, with the Peoples Republic of China must be pushed ahead with the utmost speed.

The writer is a freelance columnist.