Pakistan Executives Group President Mutahir Rizvi presents the PEG Shield to Ambassador Munir Akram (3rd R) during the dinner in Jeddah. Others in the picture are (L-R) Khalid Ali Khan, PEG Treasurer; Imran A. Siddiqi, Acting Consul General of Pakistan; Javed H. Khan, PEG Vice President; Azizullah Shariff, PEG Secretary General; and M. A. Zubair, senior economist at the Islamic Development Bank and PEG executive committee member. — Courtesy photo Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — Pakistan faces certain challenges that need to be addressed properly in order to maintain political stability and economic recovery, according to a former Pakistani permanent representative to the UN. Munir Akram told a Pakistan Executives Group (PEG) dinner in Jeddah on Monday that his country is currently at a critical point where five sets of internal and external challenges will be converging over the course of the next 12 months. How these challenges will be addressed by the political and policy elite in Pakistan will determine the medium-term issues of political stability and economic recovery, he said at a lecture on “Pakistan and the Regional Strategic Environment”. The first challenge is that the run-up to upcoming elections and its outcome will critically influence the prospects of repairing public institutions, the formulation of a reform agenda and the extent to which the political leadership will exhibit the needed vigor to implement these reforms, he said. The second challenge is related to the regional impact of the US withdrawal of troops in Afghanistan. He said: “The preferred peaceful political accommodation among various Afghan factions is critically dependent on the role that is likely to be played by both regional countries and outside powers.” The third challenge is related to the management of the Indo-Pak relationship in difficult areas such as the Line of Control, trade cooperation and the fallout of political difficulties faced by the Congress Party in India, he said. The fourth strategic challenge is related to whether or not there could be a war between Iran and Israel, he said. “With the re-election of President (Barack) Obama the chances of armed conflict with Iran appear to have considerably diminished.” Finally, there appears to be ongoing efforts by the US to foster strategic encirclement of China, he said. The chances of an armed conflict between the US and China are minimal, yet it is important for both Pakistan and China to further strengthen their strategic bridges, he claimed. Akram highlighted few of his experiences as Pakistan's permanent representative to the UN in Geneva from 1995 to 2002 and Pakistan's permanent representative to the UN headquarters in New York from 2002 to 2008. He continues to write and lecture extensively on political and economic issues relating to these regions as well as global issues. He is also special adviser on sustainable development to Sha Zukang, former head of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, among others. After the lecture, attended by a large gathering of PEG members, Akram engaged in a lively question and answer session. Imran Ahmed Siddiqi, acting Pakistan consul general, was the guest of honor.
