Policy Perspectives (Volume 22, Issue 2, 2025)
Editor-in-Chief: Khalid Rahman Download Contents |
Policy Perspectives (Volume 22, Issue 2, 2025)
The latest issue of Policy Perspectives presents research, analyses, and discussion on various topics concerning national and international matters from policy experts, academics, and practitioners.
The post–Cold War international order is becoming increasingly complex as US–China rivalry intensifies across military, economic, and technological domains. Given its longstanding ties with China and US’ historically closer alignment with India, Pakistan must navigate delicate strategic choices that will influence both its own future and the stability of South Asia. In this backdrop, the Journal team convened a written symposium on ‘Navigating the Emerging US-China Power Balance: Implications and Pathways for Pakistan’, taking leading foreign policy thinkers and experts on board, including: Sohail Mahmood, Sardar Masood Khan, and Zamir Akram.
Interviewees: Ambassador (r) Sohail Mahmood, Director General, Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), Islamabad, Pakistan; Ambassador (r) Sardar Masood Khan, former Ambassador to the US, China and United Nations (UN) and former President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir; and Ambassador (r) Zamir Akram, former Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN).
https://doi.org/10.13169/polipers.22.2.symp
Given the expanding strategic alliance between India and Israel, the paper ‘Ideology to Strategy: India–Israel Cooperation and Global Accountability’ reviews its evaluation from a transactional defense partnership to an ideologically-infused relationship. It argues that India-Israel joint defense and intelligence ventures are driven by extremist ideologies culminating in increased humanitarian crises and militarization of ideology and policy. The Indo-Israeli collaboration not only undermines regional stability, it poses challenges to Pakistan’s interests, and contributes to the global decline of accountability in the face of occupation and genocide.
Author: Asifa Tanveer, Associate Editor, Institute of Policy Studies, Islamabad, Pakistan.
https://doi.org/10.13169/polipers.22.2.ra1
The paper ‘Is Colonization Possible During the Encounter Between Two Civilizations?’ examines whether colonization can occur from civilizational encounters by comparing European and Islamic encounters with other societies. While European colonization enforced exploitative rule and cultural erasure, Islamic encounters generally encouraged pluralism, scholarship, and peaceful coexistence. Using Egypt as a case study and drawing on Schulze and Toynbee, the paper evaluates how different ideological and structural factors led to these contrasting outcomes.
Author: Shahzada Rahim Abbas, PhD Scholar, Department of Civilizational Studies, Ibn Haldun University (IHU), Istanbul, Turkey.
https://doi.org/10.13169/polipers.22.2.ra2
Amidst failing rules-based world order, the paper ‘Law, Connectivity, and Global Governance: The Belt and Road Initiative and the Reconfiguration of International Economic Order’ examines the BRI not merely as an infrastructure or development initiative, but as an evolving legal and governance paradigm aimed at restoring trust, predictability, equitability, equality of nations and cooperation in cross-border economic cooperation. Built on the foundations of mutual respect among nations, sovereignty, equality, and legal harmonization, it represents a thoughtful philosophical shift in the evolution of global governance and thus international order. It argues that the BRI’s legal architecture, reinforced by the Global Development, Security, Civilization, and Governance Initiatives, represents a shift from a contemporary power-based order toward a principled, predictable, and justice-oriented model of global governance.
Author: Khalid Rahman, Chairman, Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), Islamabad, Pakistan.
https://doi.org/10.13169/polipers.22.2.ra3
The paper ‘Federalism for Ethnic Harmony: A Case Study of the 18th Amendment’ analyzes the impact of the 18th amendment on addressing the provincial grievances that had fueled ethnic conflict in Pakistan, and by implication, its effectiveness as a tool for solving ethnic conflict, among others. It argues that Federalism in Pakistan has only been partially successful in resolving ethnic conflict as developmental inequalities persist despite the attempts to reduce them through the amendment. Moreover, the paper contends that the amendment seems to have created intra-provincial ethnic tensions. While the 18th amendment proves to be a step in the right direction, failure to address capacity issues has prevented it from achieving its intended objectives and full potential.
Author: Eman Farooq, Master’s Scholar, Bard College, New York, United States.
https://doi.org/10.13169/polipers.22.2.ra4
The next paper ‘Navigating the IMO Regulations: Opportunities and Strategies for Pakistan’ reviews Pakistan’s status under key International Monetary Fund (IMO) conventions. It explores the institutional, legal, and infrastructure barriers that hinder full implementation. It benchmarks Pakistan against regional peers, namely Bangladesh, India, Türkiye, and Vietnam with similar shipbreaking industries and strategic ports. It covers Pakistan’s maritime landscape, regulatory framework, and strategic initiatives highlighting strengths and gaps. It highlights that the fragmented governance especially after the 18th Amendment and outdated laws limit enforcement. Finally, the paper recommends harmonizing laws, upgrading ports and shipyards, strengthening institutions, and unifying blue economy policies.
Authors: Muhammad Jawad Akhtar, Former Advisor, Maritime Affairs, Ministry of Planning Development & Special Initiatives (MoPD&SI), Government of Pakistan; Senior Associate, Institute of Policy Studies, (IPS), Islamabad, Pakistan; and Muhammad Umair, Researcher, Department of Politics and International Relations, International Islamic University (IIU), Islamabad, Pakistan.
https://doi.org/10.13169/polipers.22.2.ra5
As the government follows a multi-phase privatization plan for distribution companies (DISCOs), the distribution sector in Pakistan is undergoing a significant policy shift. The paper ‘Reforming Pakistan’s Power Distribution Sector: Preconditions and Alternatives to DISCOs Privatization’ maintains that some foundational reforms are necessary prerequisites to successful privatization of DISCOs. It also explores alternative models, including performance-based management contracts and commercialization strategies to address persistent operational inefficiencies without immediate asset transfer. It underscores that in the absence of such reforms, privatization risks replicating past mistakes rather than resolving them.
Author: Faryal Qazi, MS Scholar, Department of Strategic Studies, Air University (AU), Islamabad, Pakistan.
https://doi.org/10.13169/polipers.22.2.ra6
On August 5, 2025—six years after India’s unlawful revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status—the Indian government intensified its repression by forfeiting 25 books under Section 98 of the BNSS, 2023. This law allows authorities to label literature as ‘seditious’ or ‘radicalizing,’ effectively banning its possession or circulation in Kashmir and across India. The essay ‘Pages that Frighten Power: The Banned Literature of Kashmir’—the first in a series reviewing the 25 books banned on Kashmir— examines 13 of these works with the aim of highlighting voices that address questions of legality and the long-standing challenges faced by the Kashmiris.
Reviewers: Malik Waleed, Researcher, Institute of Policy Studies (Islamabad), Pakistan; Waleed Rasool, PhD, Executive Director, Institute of Multi-Track Dialogue, Development and Diplomatic Studies (IDDS), Islamabad, Pakistan; Tayyaba Khurshid, Research Officer, Center for International Strategic Studies (CISS), Muzaffarabad, Azad Jamuu and Kashmir (AJK), Pakistan; Waqas Khan, PhD, Head of Department of Islamic Studies at Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan; Usama Hameed, Research Associate, India Study Centre, Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), Islamabad, Pakistan; Altaf Hussain Wani, Chairman, Kashmir Institute of International Relations (KIIR), Islamabad, Pakistan; Adnan Sarwar Khan, PhD, Former Head of Department, International Relations, National University of Modern Languages (NUML), Islamabad, Pakistan; Farzana Yaqoob, Former Minister for Social Welfare and Women Development, Azad Jammu and Kashmir; Founding Member of the Asia Institute of Public Policy; Aneela Shahzad, Geopolitical Analyst; Author of the books: Understanding Politics; Geopolitics— From the Other Side; and Geopolitics – Frameworks and Dynamics in a Multipolar World; Iftikhar Gilani, Independent Journalist; and Saba Ghulam Nabi, Research Officer, Center for International Strategic Studies (CISS), Muzaffarabad, Azad Jamuu and Kashmir (AJK), Pakistan.
https://doi.org/10.13169/polipers.22.2.re1
The full text of the articles is available at ScienceOpen.
