GEO-

STRATEGIC
IMPORTANCE
OF PAKISTAN

PRESENTED BY: PRESENTED BY:

ZOHAIB ABRAR BADDIAH JAVAID
MUHAMMAD SALMAN MAIRA SALMAN
HARIS ZAHID NIMRA ZAHEER
 OUTLINE

➢ DEFINITION AND IMPORTANCE OF GEOSTRATEGY

➢ GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION AND TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKISTAN
➢ PAKISTAN’S RELATIONS WITH NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES
➢ PAKISTAN AS A GATEWAY TO CENTRAL ASIA
➢ NUCLEAR CAPABILITY AND RELATIONS WITH MUSLIM COUNTRIES
➢ TRADE ROUTES AND TRANSIT ECONOMY
➢ GEOPOLITICAL POSITION OF PAKISTAN

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 GEOSTRATEGY AND EXPLANATION

➢ Geostrategic is a combination of two words; Geo-which means Earth and Strategy-

which means planning policy.
➢ In simple words, Geostrategic relates to the strategy required in dealing with
geopolitical problems of a region.
➢ Strategic importance is a way of evaluating how important a particular part of the
plan is in the overall scheme of the work
➢ An example can be taken from how in the pre 20th century the middle East was
important to the British to secure trade route during the second industrial revolution
(late 19th century ) the energy focus of industry shifted from coal to oil and from
textile to chemical
➢ Geostrategic importance of Pakistan is the significance of the country in the world. It
is a profound blend of landscapes varying from plains to deserts, forests, hills and
plateaus ranging from the costal areas of Arabian Sea to the Himalayas.

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 GEOSTRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF PAKISTAN

➢ Pakistan became a geostrategic region due to its geographical location .Pakistan is

located at a region which has great political economic and strategic location.
➢ Pakistan is the worlds 36th largest country with the area of 796,096 sqkm. Population
is about 130 million according to 1998 census
➢ Location is perhaps more important than size. Location tends to make a state a pro
land power or sea power.
➢ Not so far away from the Equator but Pakistan still has the blessing to experience all
seasons of the year.

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TOPOGRAPHY OF PAKISTAN PAKISTAN’S CLIMATE DISTRIBUTION
Topography is the arrangement of natural
and artificial physicals features of an area.
Pakistan can be divided into eight main
area of natural Topography:
➢ Northern and Northwestern mountains
➢ Indus river plains
➢ Northern Highlands
➢ Desert Areas
➢ Potohar plateaue
➢ Balochistan plateaue
➢ Salt range
➢ Sistan basin

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NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES OF
PAKISTAN
Pakistan shares borders with four neighboring SINO-PAK
BORDER
countries; China, Afghanistan, India,
and Iran while Tajikistan is separated by
thin Wakhan Corridor.

➢
DURAND LINE
India : East
➢ China : North
➢ Afghanistan : Northwest
RADCLIFFE LINE

➢ Tajikistan(Wakhan Strip) : Northwest

➢ Iran : Southwest
GOLD SMITH
LINE

➢ Arabian Sea : South (650 miles

coastline)
ARABIAN SEA

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 PAKISTAN’S
RELATIONS WITH
NEIGHBOURING
COUNTRIES

Let’s start with the first set of slides

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 PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

➢ Relations with China began in 1950 when Pakistan became the first Muslim country to accept
People’s Republic of China as an Independent state.
➢ Economic trade between both countries is increasing since.
➢ The Chinese investment in "connectivity and maritime sectors" and "China-Pakistan
economic corridor project" will help build infrastructure, stimulate Pakistan's economy and
create millions of badly needed jobs.
➢ China is rather known as Pakistan’s ‘Evergreen Friend’ and the socio-economic and political
ties between the two countries might reach a whole new platform of CPEC initiative.

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 INDIA

➢ The wars which took place in 1948,1956and 1971 further added to the hostility
between the two nations.
➢ Kashmir issue remains a thorn in relations to this day.
➢ Aman ki Asha is a joint venture and campaign between The Times of India and the
Jang Group calling for mutual peace and development of diplomatic and cultural ties.
➢ Actions are being taken for cooperation between the two countries for the benefit of
people through improved economic relations.

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 IRAN

➢ Iran established diplomatic relations with Pakistan in May 1948.

➢ Iran’s growing relations with India particulary in defense could affect Iran-Pakistan
relations in the coming years.
➢ Peace pipeline is an under-construction 2,775 km(1,724 miles) pipeline to deliver
natural gas from Iran to Pakistan.
➢ The principle items of trade between Iran and Pakistan are textile, agricultural
products, fruits and iron ore.

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 AFGHANISTAN

➢ Afghanistan is a land-locked Muslim country in the west of Pakistan.

➢ Despite the Muslim unity, ties between the two countries have been strained from the
start when first Afghanistan refused to recognize Pakistan as a sovereign state in 1947
➢ There is a grave social issue of Afghan refugees who crossed over legally and illegally
when USA attacked Afghanistan decades ago.
➢ The Pakistan-Afghanistan Transit Trade Agreement is a two-sided contract signed in
1950 which helps Afghanistan access Pakistan’s trade routes and ports.
➢ Due to the lack of security at the Durand line which Pakistan shares with Afghanistan,
there is a smuggling dispute going on in Balochistan as we speak.

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 PAKISTAN AS A GATEWAY TO CENTRAL ASIA

➢ The geographic location of Pakistan makes it a junction of the three important parts of
the world; South Asia, West Asia and Central Asia.
➢ Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Almas Hyder states that
Pakistan plays a vital role in acting as a gateway to Central Asia because of its immense
strategic position.
➢ Pakistan provides shortest link to Central Asian Republic and China. China took
advantage of this and agreed to work on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
CPEC gives access of Gwadar and Bin Qasim port to China.
➢ From sea Pakistan is located to major Muslim countries of Persian Gulf which are rich in
oil and power for e.g. Iran and Afghanistan.

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 PAKISTAN AS A GATEWAY TO CENTRAL ASIA

➢ Another step taken by Central Asian countries was by Tajikistan by One Belt One Road
(OBOR).
➢ OBOR provides Pakistan access to Tajikistan from Gilgit-Baltistan via China using the
Karakoram Highway, therefore Pakistan can bypass Afghanistan to access Tajikistan.
➢ By this Tajikistan becomes Pakistan’s nearest Central Asian neighbor.
➢ Including China, India also lack in the production of energy.
➢ By March 2008, Tajikistan ambassador Saeed Baig announced supply of cheap electricity
to Pakistan and Iran.

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 PAKISTAN’S
TRANSIT ROUTES
AND TRADE
ECONOMY
 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TRADE ROUTES OF PAKISTAN

➢ Land locked Afghanistan now at the phase of reconstruction finds its ways through
Pakistan.
➢ China with its fastest economy growth rate of 9% GDP developing southern provinces
because its own part is 4500 km away from Xin kiang but Gwadar is 2500 km away.
➢ Pakistan offers central Asian regions the shortest route of 2600 km as compared to Iran
4500 km or turkey 5000 km.
➢ Sea Port with its deep waters attracts the trade ships of china, CAR and south east Asian
countries.
➢ A new global trade route Belt and Roads initiative (BRI).

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 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TRADE ROUTES OF PAKISTAN

➢ The future of Pakistan's relations along the borders

➢ Important projects with the neighboring countries of Pakistan and their impact on the
trade and geo-economics of Pakistan.
➢ Impact of Pakistan's international trade routes on the foreign policy.
➢ Pakistan is now a four-way dead lock region for many.
➢ Pakistan can cut off the whole trade of many countries like Afghanistan and central
Asian and up to some extent European nation too.

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PAKISTAN’S TRADE ROUTES AND China’s Silk Road to Pakistan
PASSES TO AFGHANISTAN.

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BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE

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 “
PAKISTAN’S
NUCLEAR
CAPABILITY AND
SIGNIFICANCE FOR
OTHER MUSLIM
COUNTRIES

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 NUCLEAR CAPABILITY
 India has shared interest with the U.S and NATO in the subjection of
Pakistan as they consider Nuclear weapons of Pakistan as threat to Indian
national security
 Pakistan named its nuclear bomb as “ISLAMIC BOMB” threat made it center
of attention in world politically.
 The U.S, NATO, ISRAEL and INDIA to neutralize such strategic and tactical
threat from Pakistan.
 They have made plan underpinned objective of Balkanizing Pakistan.
 Most importantly Pakistan has world best missile technology and perceived
enemies capitols are in range of Pakistan.

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PAKISTAN’S NUCLEAR MISSILE RANGE
 Shaheen - 3 4500 km
 Ghouri -3 3500 km
 Babur -3 1500 km
 Tipu -1 5000 km
 Tipu -4 12000 km

FACT: Distance of Israel from Pakistan

is 2085 miles in range of Ghouri -3

FACT: Distance of USA from Islamabad

Washington 11388km
White house 11600km
(In range of Tipu-4)

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 PAKISTAN’S
ROLE AMONG
THE MAJOR
POWER
STRUGGLE
 GEOPOLITICAL POSITION OF PAKISTAN

➢ The influence of the regional setting on the foreign relations and security policy
of a relatively weak state like Pakistan has been enormous since the start.
➢ In the past, Pakistan as a lesser power, made persistent efforts to enhance its
defense and deterrence capabilities looked to major powers to support its quest
for security and help persist against India dominant emerging power.
➢ In this instance, China’s interests converged somewhat with Pakistan’s regional
imperatives and the U.S.A had it’s eyes on the virtual framework it provided to
monitor the other power competitors.
➢ Since then, global powers have exploited the country under the common
strategic outlook, and the stakeholders have allowed them, exhausting Pakistan
of it’s assets.

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 PAKISTAN’S RELATIONS WITH U.S.A

➢ Initially, USA showed interest in the region to contain the Growing China, scour the
advancing nuclear power of Iran, contain terrorist activity in Afghanistan, and to
benefit from the market of India.
➢ Security and Business are two main US interests in the region.
➢ The U.S.A-Soviet rivalry further raised Pakistan’s importance to US strategic
initiatives.
➢ Since the emergence of terrorist activity and Pakistan’s rumored active part in
Afghan Terrorism, the ties between the two countries have been strained.
➢ Relationships between USA and Pakistan have mostly been of transactional nature
but there is a grave chance that Pakistan miscalculated these strategic relations.

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 PAKISTAN’S RELATIONS WITH CHINA

➢ Pakistan and China have had amicable relations from the start. Both countries follow a
policy of mutual collaboration and mutual gains.
➢ Officials have characterized Sino-Pakistan ties as an “all-weather friendship” that’s
“higher than the Himalayas, deeper than the ocean, and sweeter than honey.”
➢ In the defense and security domain, China had long surpassed the US as Pakistan’s
most important indispensable partner and patron.
➢ Being a great economic power, China is the biggest aid supplier of Pakistan.
➢ In hindsight, it can be deduced that China aims to be the new regional power but to
what extent will it back Pakistan is unclear.

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 PAKISTAN’S RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA

➢ The basic purpose of Soviet invasion in Afghanistan was to approach the hot waters of
Arabian Sea. After realizing of the USA’s stronghold there, the power instead turned to
exploit Pakistan.
➢ Russia’s primary concern is the long-term presence of the US and its allies in Afghanistan,
and therefore it’s in Russia’s long-term interests to have an inside view of the situation in
Afghanistan, which Pakistan can easily provide.
➢ Concerns regarding the Islamic State and potential spread of extremism and drugs from
Afghanistan is a serious threat and common strategic issue for both the countries.
➢ In February 2019 Russia had announced that it was planning to invest $14 billion in
Pakistan’s energy infrastructure. The two countries are currently exploring a security
partnership.
➢ Pakistan and Russia were the bitterest of enemies during the Cold War, but a convergence
of strategic interests has brought Islamabad and the Kremlin closer than ever before.

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THANKS!
Any question?

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