What Pakistan-Russia becoming friends means for rest of South Asia

Ice is melting between Pakistan and Russia, two Cold War era foes.

Islamabad is likely to give Moscow access to its deep sea water port, Gwadar, for import and export of goods.

The decision was taken following the secret visit of Alexander Bortnikov, chief of Russian Intelligence Federal Security Services and former chief of KGB, to Islamabad a week ago.

It was the first time in 14 years that any senior official from Russia visited Pakistan.

During his visit, Bortnikov held several meetings with top officials of Pakistan's intelligence and defence, including Pakistan's spy master - ISI chief lieutenant general Rizwan Akhter.

Officials in Islamabad revealed that the Russian had expressed the desire to be part of CPEC and use Gwadar port for import and export.

"Pakistan has welcomed Russia's request to be a part of the multibillion dollar project of CPEC," a senior Pakistani official told Mail Today. He added that a formal announcement will be made in a couple of months.

According to many experts in Pakistan, the latest development shows that Pakistan and Russia are laying foundations of improving bilateral ties after decades of sour ties during and after the Cold War era.

It is believed that geostrategic relations are rapidly changing in South Asia. Meanwhile former Cold War rivals - India and the US - are bolstering their defence and trade ties amid concerns about China's assertiveness in the region, particularly in the disputed South China Sea.

Likewise, Islamabad and Washington, which were allies against the erstwhile Soviet Union and collaborated in the 1980s Afghan War, are drifting away.

The development comes in the wake of Pakistan's deteriorating relations with the US following the American forces' raid in Abbottabad that killed al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in May 2011.

The relationship dealt a further blow recently when US lawmakers blocked funds for the sale of eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

Interestingly, Islamabad and Moscow are reviving their ties and bolstering cooperation in defence and trade.

Earlier this year, 200 soldiers of the Russian army participated in the first ever Pakistan-Russia military drill held in Pakistan from September 24 to October 10.

The exercise was seen as a demonstration of closer defence ties between Pakistan and Russia after they signed a military cooperation pact in 2014.

This correspondent's background interviews and off-the-record conversation with well-informed officials of the Pakistan government and diplomats revealed that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took personal interest in improving ties with Russia soon after becoming PM for the third time.

"His efforts are yielding fruit," said a close aid of PM Sharif.

During his visit to Turkmenistan, Sharif confirmed to a group of journalists that Pakistan has welcomed Russia to become a part of CPEC.

The revival in the bilateral relationship began in 2014 when the Kremlin removed its arms embargo against Islamabad followed by a series of meeting between top officials of the two countries.

In 2015, Moscow agreed to sell four Mi-35M helicopters to Pakistan and welcomed Islamabad to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

While Russia's desire to be a part of CPEC has surprised many in Pakistan, experts believe the two countries will have to go a long way to remove mistrust.

"Moscow and Islamabad had a proxy conflict during the Cold War. The geopolitical vector did not change after the USSR's collapse," said defence analyst Mohammad Shahbaz.

(Courtesy of Mail Today.)

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