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CSS Notes > China, Pakistan-Russia cooperation – What are its future implications for Pakistan and the Region?

Introduction
Regional and global political repositioning is a reality. Nations alter their diplomatic, political and economic engagements with each other based on their interest. Pakistan is no exception in this regard. The country has been a close ally of the United States but to its offence, Islamabad is shifting its tilt towards Beijing and Moscow specifically for the last few years. This shift of engagement brings Pakistan enormous new opportunities along with some regional and global challenges.

China and Pakistan
China and Pakistan have been economic and political allies for several decades now. They have engaged in multiple economic ventures including the flagship project of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).The relations between the two are pacific and free from any serious contention. Their mutual economic interests in the region and across the world have brought them more closes than they ever have been in the past.

Russia and Pakistan
The relations between Moscow and Islamabad have been sort of reborn. Pakistan remained engaged with Russia in multiple economic plans in the past but following 1980s, it has mostly relied on the United States along with giving up strong ties with Moscow. But, now in the background of growing difference between Islamabad and Washington, Pakistan has once again made an effort to reignite the ties with Russia. This can with the recent visit of PM Imran Khan to Moscow where he help meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the moments of Moscow’s attack on Ukraine.

Future Implications from Pakistan-China and Russia Cooperation
The cooperation and growing ties between Pakistan, China and Russia can bring following opportunities at regional and global levels:

• It will open new ways of trade between the three nations.
• Pakistan can utilize the skills, experience and techniques of China along with the energy resources of Russia to make itself prosper and grow in economic terms.
• The new alliance can be utilized to enhance regional trade.
• In political terms, this new cooperation can prove beneficial for Pakistan to lower the impact of Western pressure on Islamabad in different aspects.
• In terms of national security against external threats, this alliance can lead of a collective defense policy between the three nations.

Besides these positive opportunities, the relations between the three nations bring a few challenges as well that need effective consideration. Some of these challenges are as following:

• The cooperation between Pakistan, China and Russia might force Islamabad in any misadventure that the country has faced in the past.
• The alliance might be considered by the West as a challenge to its hegemony in South Asia.
• This cooperation, if promoted in sense of defense and military engagements can invite unwanted attention of the West.

Conclusion
The cooperation between Pakistan, China and Russia bring opportunities as well as challenges. Pakistan needs to adopt and open and cautious policy in this regard. Pakistan needs to utilize economic aspects of this alliance and avoid excessive military engagements which might invite the undesired attention of western powers.

CSS Notes > Are China, Russia and Pakistan making a new global bloc against the US-led world?

Introduction
International alliances are actually based on economic, geopolitical and strategic interests. With some change in the said interests, states tend to alter their alliances. South Asia has been facing a similar reality for the last few years. With India moving into the US-led bloc and Pakistan is getting closer to Moscow and Beijing. This new shift of alliances is being considered as a move against the world order established the US.

The Western Alliance
After the World War II, it was the USA and the USSR which established their political and economic hegemony in the world. But this action of theirs can in contest with one another. For nearly half a century both the countries remained in Cold War which ultimately resulted in collapse of the USSR thus leaving the USA as sole hegemon of the modern world. Since then, the USA has established an alliance based on economic, political and mainly military alliance with the Europe and multiple nations in almost every continent of the world.

The Rising China-led Alliance
China being the successor state of communist ideology and world’s second largest economy has always been considered by the USA as a rival. China has kept its foreign policy sort of pacific. It has rarely used force in any part of the world to become hegemon of any region or the world. With ever increasing power of China, it is on the move to establish a new alliance in Asia that might break the hegemony of the USA in world. That alliance is yet based on economic ventures rather than military adventures. In this alliance, Russia is being considered as a natural ally of China and that will be second in command. In South Asia, Pakistan is considered as important role player in this new alliance.

China, Russia & Pakistan
Pakistan has always had great relations with China. But, its foreign policy towards Russia has recently sought a rebirth. With the visit of PM Imran Khan to Moscow amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the west is watching this development keenly. This visit, which has also been defended by the government in every case, is being taken by the West as ultimate token of Pakistan’s shift towards the China and Russia bloc in Asia. Although Pakistan declares itself neutral in these affairs but it current rift with the USA and closeness with the Chinese bloc speak otherwise.

Possible Future of the New Bloc
This alliance of China, Russia and Pakistan has great future in economic terms but speaking in the sense of defense, nothing final can be predicted. Amid the project of CPEC, Russia can join for new economic ventures in South Asia. In any case, if this bloc is used in military sense, that will prove disastrous for the region.

Conclusion
The new alliance of South Asia is not a hidden fact. This alliance will endeavor to break the hegemony of the USA but that will be possible in economic terms rather than in military sense.

CSS Notes > “Political Stability is mandatory for economic prosperity in Pakistan”. Elaborate.

Introduction
Politics and economics are two joint aspect of modern state. Both play role in helping a nation to grow and prosper. Further, political stability ensures economic prosperity and the later provides incentives from the former to emerge. Pakistan is a developing country. Most of its economic development often gets overwhelmed and compromised due to country’s political instability.

Defining Political Stability
Political stability refers to an even and calm working of political affairs of a country. It is seen in terms of government’s strength and its control, role of opposition and trust of people on country’s political system.

Defining Economic Prosperity
Economic prosperity is the overall growth in terms of national trade, GDP and other aspects of state’s financial affairs. Economic prosperity is measured from a country’s wealth and its use.

Link between Political Stability and Economic Prosperity
In modern states, both co-exist to help developing a prosperous setup. If a country is economically growing yet it faces political instability that growth would turn out to be a temporary affair. Pakistan has recorded marvelous economic growth in different times but that growth lost its vigor due to country’s political instability. Following are some manifestations of political instability in Pakistan that compromise its economic growth:

• Weak political governments lacking clear mandate in parliament
• Interference of military in political affairs thus hampering the democratic process
• Immature & illogical role of opposition parties based on single objecting of ousting the ruling alliance
• Absence of trust of people on their government thus leading to ill performance of institutions
• Politicized and weak governmental institutions

Ways of Ensuring Political Stability
In following ways, Pakistan can ensure political stability that will lead to long term and sustainable economic prosperity:

• Military needs to move out of the entire political process thus leaving the political parties on their own
• Political parties need to recruit reasonable individuals as its candidates for the election
• Political parties need to rely on democratic principles instead of using cheap tactics against each other
• Political parties need to stop being pawns in the hands of non-democratic forces
• People should start building their confidence in democratic system, their government and political representative by using their vote in rightful way
• People need to stop relying on undemocratic means of derailing the political setup
• State institutions should play their role by working with neutral agenda and sole for the prosperity of this country
• States institutions need to give up on their political affiliations and perform in a sense they are supposed to do as per the constitution and concerned laws

Conclusions
Political stability is essential for economic prosperity that is sustainable and long term. For bring that stability in Pakistan, we need to work on multiple fronts including the political stakeholders, people at large and the state intuitions. With bringing positive changes in all the said aspects, political stability can be ensure in this country that will ultimately guarantee economic growth.

FPSC Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) with answers for FPSC Test (and also MCQ preparation material for PPSC, SPSC, KPPSC, NTS Test). Link to FPSC MCQs (PDF) is given below. These online practice questions also contains sample questions from past FPSC test papers.

FPSC MCQs

Q. The nationality of human rights activist Greta Thunberg is:
(A) British
(B) Danish
(C) Ukrainian
(D) Swedish

ANSWER: FPSC PAST PAPERS MCQS
(D) Swedish

ENGLISH
— FPSC English Grammar MCQs

CURRENT AFFAIRS
— FPSC Current Affairs MCQs

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
— FPSC General Knowledge MCQs

PAKISTAN AFFAIRS
— FPSC Pakistan Current Affairs MCQs

PAKISTAN GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
— FPSC Pakistan General Knowledge MCQs

COMMERCE
— FPSC Commerce MCQs

ECONOMICS
— FPSC Economics MCQs

ISLAMIC STUDIES
— FPSC Islamic Studies MCQs

FPSC MCQs (PDF)
Download the FPSC MCQs in PDF for FPSC test preparation from this page.

NOTE:

FPSC = Federal Public Service Commission
PPSC = Punjab Public Service Commission
SPSC = Sindh Public Service Commission
KPPSC = Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Service Commission

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