Nature has beatified the soil
and the people of different regions with different resource. Some of the regions
abound in beauty while others are qualified with grimness. At some places, the
attitude is based on lenity and adverse to that, in certain other areas,
gallantry and temerity are the values in trend.
Some areas tender amplitude of natural beauty with soaring mountains and lush
green fields, while others have deserts and flatlands. If we gaze at Central
Asian Region, it is consecrated with diverse attributes. The soil and the faces
of people excogitate beauty as well as steadiness and animation. This was the
region from where the Islamic world found undismayed warriors for whom Allama
Muhammad Iqbal has also engendered a reiterated anamnesis in his poetry as
“Shikwa e Tarkamani”.
Great thinker of Islam Allama Iqbal had also conveyed this message ninety years
ago that without enthusiastic participation and cooperation of Central Asian
Republics, this region cannot attain real and lasting prosperity. Central Asia
is the region which has been blessed with a superiority of natural resources
over the whole world. Central Asia has a great share in the Islamic history of
knowledge and research, exploration and creation, preaching and teaching and
communication and reformation. Kazakhstan is considered amongst one of the
significant countries of the region as it enjoys bounty of natural resources. On
economic, commercial and diplomatic level it has established its worth and the
way it has wielded its influence is really commendable and exemplary. Then there
is another important factor that because of its trade and economic policies, the
whole region began to dream of the “Asian Century”.
The foundations for Pakistan’s relationship with the Central Asian Republics
were laid from the time when great thinker of Islam Allama Muhammad Iqbal
foresaw the significance of this region in the time to come and suggested to lay
a railway track from Kabul to Constantinople (Istanbul) through the Central
Asian region to promote trade and communication amongst the Muslim world. His
idea is still a beacon of light for us after lapse of hundred years as if we had
executed this plan long time ago, by laying a railway track, extending from
Kabul to warm waters, the landlocked states could get an easy access to Indian
Ocean. It would have also significantly contributed to the growth and
development of the whole region. Enormous resources of oil and gas are found in
Central Asian states. In South Asia human resources are more than the resources
of energy. Under such circumstances, there is a vast scope of cooperation
between Central and South Asia.
Kazakhstan owns a great variety of natural resources including petrol, gas coal,
bronze, lead, gold and uranium. Kazakhstan is in the possession of 30 billion
barrels of oil reserves and with the help of these reserves it is included in
the list of top ten oil producing countries. Kazakhstan has three trillion cubic
of gas reserves. The natural resources of Kazakhstan are almost worth $ 46
trillion. Kazakhstan has the sixth largest reserves of gold in the world. For
the reserves of Iron, it is on eighth number in the world. With regard to its
Uranium resources, after Australia it is the second largest country with one
quarter of the whole Uranium of the world.
Relations between Pakistan and Kazakhstan formally began on 24th February, 1992
and the Kazakhstan embassy was opened in Islamabad on 27 November, 1994. Soon
after gaining independence, the President of Kazakhstan, H.E. Nursultan
Nazarbayev paid a visit to Pakistan which reflects the significance that both
countries attach to each other. In 1995 both countries signed Joint Statement on
Perspectives of Bilateral Relations. Government of Pakistan also participated in
the First Summit of Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures
in Asia (CICA), in June 4, 2002 at Almaty. After these of high level involution
from Pakistan, President of Kazakhstan, Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev paid official
visit to Pakistan during December 8-9, 2003.
On the same footing, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif’s two-day recent
official visit of Kazakhstan at the invitation of President Nursultan Nazarbayev,
has a vision of instituting energy and trade corridors with Kazakhstan and other
countries in Central Asia. In his meeting with Kazakh counterpart Karim Massimov
in Astana, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif commuted views on a range of
bilateral issues as well as the regional situation. He was of view that the two
countries had a great potential to fortify cooperation in engineering, food and
agriculture, pharmaceuticals and highways.
PM Massimov expressed his desire to become part of the China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC) projects, and it would provide an alternative route for access
to sea. He called for preparations for meeting of governmental commission
between the two countries, saying cooperation in transport infrastructure would
help promote bilateral trade. Kazakhstan wants to cooperate with Pakistan for
promotion of regional peace, said the Kazakh premier, adding that the two
countries had always cooperated with each other at internal forums. Both the
leaders called for further strengthening of bilateral ties between Pakistan and
Kazakhstan through enhanced cooperation in diverse areas, particularly trade,
energy and infrastructure connectivity for the mutual benefit of two brotherly
countries.
Besides discussing ways and means to strengthen bilateral ties, the two leaders
also exchanged views on the regional and international issue of mutual interest.
Pakistani ports (Gawadar and Karachi) provide the shortest route to sea for the
Central Asian Republics (CARs), expressing Pakistan’s vision for a prosperous
Central Asia with all countries connected by rail, road and airlinks. The Prime
Minister said that Pakistan viewed Kazakhstan as an important state in the
region. Its strategic geographic location and energy resources made it a more
attractive and important country.
Pakistan and Kazakhstan also signed three Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) for
cooperation in the areas of trade and investment, defence and strategic studies
and training in foreign services.
MOU between the National Export & Investment Agency of Kazakhstan and the Trade
Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) purports increasing the volume of
bilateral trade, investment and technology transfer. It not only encourages the
mutual exchange of information on trade but facilitates development of potential
trade routes between the both countries by establishing contact among the key
priority areas such as agribusiness, food industry, entertainment and services,
machinery and equipment, fashion, design, technology and health, construction,
metallurgy and pharmaceuticals.
The MoU between the Foreign Services Academy of Pakistan and the Academy of
Public Administration Under the President of Kazakhstan to develop cooperation
in training and ameliorating professional acquisitions of diplomats with an
intent to beef up bilateral relations. The MoU on Cooperation in the area of
Defence and Strategic Studies between the National Defence University (NDU) and
the Centre for Military Strategic Research of Kazakhstan aims at raising
academic cooperation between two institutions through conferences, research and
other academic activities.
In an interview with Astana Times, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif evoked that
connectivity of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) with Central Asia would
not only mold entire region but it would cater outstanding economic prospects
and constitute a win-win situation for all countries. Both sides necessitate
efforts to employ all acquirable options, while simultaneously digging into new
spheres of cooperation. In this regard, Kazakhstan’s WTO membership will be
instrumental in erecting the country’s trade with Pakistan, a founding member of
the Organization. Responding a question, Mr. Sharif said that Pakistan would
support Kazakhstan’s candidature for election to a non-permanent seat on the UN
Security Council for the term 2017-2018.
Major products of export from Pakistan to Kazakhstan are mainly leather, article
of apparel/cloth accessories, pharmaceutical products, telecommunication
appliances and equipment, cotton products, bedlinen, knitwear, pharmaceuticals,
garments, leather, rice, fruits and others. Despite enormous economic
complementarities, unfortunately bilateral trade between Pakistan and Kazakhstan
was below the actual potential. But one must hope that the required trade goals
may be achieved in near future by improvising the parameters set by the
leadership.