Interviewee: Dr. Moeed Yusuf
Affiliation: National Security Advisor, Government of Pakistan
Organization/Publisher: Anadolu Agency
Date/Place: February 7, 2021/Ankara, Turkey
Type of Literature: Interview
Word Count: 3700
Keywords: Pakistan, Turkey, Kashmir, Security, Diplomacy, Defense, International law, UN, Security Council
Brief:
In this wide-ranging interview, Moeed Yusuf, an academic-turned-policy maker, insists that it is India that has set bottlenecks against peace in South Asia. Yusuf puts forth the policy of the current government in Pakistan, explaining its paradigm is achieving economic security. He explains how the welfare of 220 million people, based on economic security, will help Islamabad shape an independent foreign policy and sustain a strong military. He refuses to acknowledge a minimal role of civilians in Pakistan’s establishment, instead arguing that the civilian leadership is involved at all levels of policy making in the country. He says Pakistan’s problem is that it is dealing with a neighbour, i.e. India, which is “motivated by an exclusionary ideology that is expansionist, and that is doing every single thing to undercut Pakistan.” The national security advisor of Pakistan says that India’s annexation of Kashmir on August 5, 2019, undermined the spirit of bilateralism in the Simla Agreement of 1972. The only other option left, he says, “is that the world must come in and help resolve an issue that keeps a billion and a half hostage, millions in poverty, and Pakistan from achieving its economic security objectives.” He says it is the responsibility of the international community and the UN Security Council to implement its resolutions and hold a direct vote in Kashmir to decide its political fate. On the trilateral alliance among Pakistan, Turkey and Azerbaijan, he explains it as a “sequence, part of a process.” The three sides envision further improving economic ties, engaging further politically, and moving forward.
By: Riyaz ul Khaliq, Non-Resident CIGA Research Associate
