The past few days have been significant for the geopolitical landscape of India and its neighbours. Not only have there been signs of a long-awaited thaw in India-China relations — more than four years after the People’s Liberation Army’s incursions in eastern Ladakh — but a series of high-level meetings have also appeared to revitalise ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Thawing ties
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Commenting on the former, an editorial by The Nation argues, “India and China need not view each other as adversaries. If their border disputes can be resolved peacefully, both nations stand to benefit immensely.” It further warns India that its hostilities with China are “fuelled” by the United States, which seeks to use Delhi as a “counterweight” to Beijing. The editorial cautions that an alliance with the US is self-serving and temporary, citing Pakistan’s experience: “Once heralded as a major ally, Pakistan was swiftly sidelined once its strategic utility diminished. Military aid and alliances became liabilities overnight.”
On Pakistan-Bangladesh relations, the Daily Times notes that diplomatic ties between the two countries have been “constrained by the burden of history and lingering animosities.” Its editorial emphasises that the present moment offers a “decisive opportunity to transcend past grievances and embrace a future rooted in collaboration and shared prosperity.” This must be driven by economic and cultural exchange: “There is no reason bilateral trade cannot flourish; increasing economic collaboration will create jobs and foster stability for communities that need it most. Furthermore, cultural exchange is another indispensable aspect, wherein both nations, united by centuries of shared tradition, can immensely benefit from increased people-to-people interactions.”
The Pakistani press continues to express worry about Afghanistan’s role in Pakistan’s national security. Dawn, noting that 2024 recorded the highest number of civilian and military casualties in a decade, concludes an editorial on counterterrorism operations by stating, “To prevent the bloodshed witnessed in 2024, Pakistan will have to act internally, by honing its CT policy to meet the threat, while also maintaining diplomatic pressure on the Afghan Taliban to ensure their soil is not used by anti-Pakistan actors.” The Daily Times, in an editorial, also issues a warning: “The Taliban’s public showcase of captured American military hardware during victory celebrations, alongside irrefutable evidence of these weapons being used in terror attacks in Balochistan, highlight a poignant picture of our challenges.”
DeepSeek and the AI challenge
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Apart from geopolitics, another development that has invited much comment is the release of DeepSeek. Attorney Rafia Zakaria, writing for Dawn, describes DeepSeek as “a victory for the Global South in general because it represents how talent and resourcefulness can use whatever is available to make things.” She also comments on Pakistan’s situation, noting, “Pakistan trains thousands of engineers in the technology field itself. DeepSeek has already been widely downloaded in Pakistan. If the current government would do its citizens the favour of allowing them access to the internet without sudden outages, DeepSeek would provide opportunities to developers in Pakistan itself.”
Adding to the discourse around the AI race, two scholars have issued a call to action for Pakistan. Writing for The Express Tribune, Dr Asghar Zaidi and Dr Anjum Majeed stress that the county’s higher education system cannot afford to stay on the sidelines. They write, “The recent five-year economic transformation plan of Pakistan, Uraan, unveiled on 1st January 2025, emphasises AI as a driving force for growth, innovation, and societal progress. Higher education institutions must rise to meet this challenge if we wish to nurture graduates who can excel in these modern times with skills to make use of generative AI models in their learnings.”
saptarishi.basak@expressindia.com
