Top-10 Reasons for Pakistan to seek good relations with Russia ________________________________________ 1)Friendship with US has become a Frankenstein

monster for Pakistan. Instances a re strikes on our check posts and Drone Attack Game. 2)Tri-Polarity-US,China&Russia, instead of usually uni-polar(US) dependence; wou ld be an adition to the might of Pak Foreign Policy.Moreover Friendship with Rus sia would not cause any opportunity cost of time tested friendship with China. 3)Friendship with Russian so far has not gained any resentment from any quarter of our society as we always have in relation to US and I believe we wouldn't hav e any towards. 4)Russia is the fastest growing economy in G8 and she enjoys an averge growth of 7% since 2003 and it is really commendable and For Pakistan, being friend with such pacer would be beneficial. 5)Pakistan too has impotant place in Russian foreign policy as Pakistan is the s ole Muslim Nuclear Power in the Muslim World and has an influncial position in n exus to its geo-strategic significance.And the current global and regional scena rio makes the interests of Pak and Russian converge. 6)Considering the energy crunch of Pakistan the relation with Russia would hopef ully be any sort of remedy for our ailing economy.As Russia has emerged as the w orld's leading natural gas exporter and second largest oil producer after Saudi Arabia. Moreover Russia has vital experience in mining coal and in generation of coal power plants. 7)Pakistan foreign policy is now inclining towards Central Asian Countries which are rich in oil and natural resources and Russia would be rich dividened in tha t angle. 8)Iamabad-Moscow relation would assist in acquiring full membership of SCO. 9)Pak Steel Mill is the hall mark of Pak-Russia relationship and re-union and re -start of such rationship would attract future prosperity via pipelines,railways and agriculture etc 10) Last but not the least. For more than 3 decades the relation between Pakista n and Russia have remained cool, even antagonistic. In such scenario India start ed to take the advatage of that opportunity and extended relations and coperatio n to the big power Russia. Such increasing relations create concerns for Pakista n and right now it has become very imperative to have good relations with Russia so the balance of power may be maintained in the region and that is the reason Mr.Zardari visited Russia as it is the first visit there of a Pakistani Presiden t in the past 3 PAK RUSSIA TIES Recently, Pakistans analysts made misperceived speculations about the postponemen t of Russian President Vladimir Putins scheduled visit to Islamabad. He had to pa rticipate in the summit, comprising Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Afghanistan , which was also cancelled. Some political experts said that President Putin can celled his visit because Russia which was not included in the Turkmenistan-Afgha nistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline has shown interest in the Iran-Pakista n (IP) gas pipeline project without an international tendering process, but Isla mabad refused. Some of them presumed that the US and India which are against Pak -Russian growing ties might have played their role regarding cancellation of his trip. However, these speculations proved untrue when Russian Foreign Minister Sergei L

avrov arrived in Islamabad on October 3 and on the same day, Pakistans Chief of A rmy Staff Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani left for Moscow. The main aim of these visit s is the reorientation of Pak-Russian Relationship by concluding strategic partn ership in the long run. Addressing a joint press conference with Foreign Ministe r Hina Rabbani Khar on October 4, Russian counterpart Lavrov said that the two c ountries had detailed discussions on bilateral relations. Both the ministers agr eed that they have common goals on regional and current global challenges. Serge i Lavrov stated that Russia supports Pakistans stance on Afghanistan by pointing out that any solution imposed from outside would not work there. And there shoul d be national reconciliation and the process should be driven by Afghans themsel ves for durable peace and stability. Lavrov also opposed CIA-operated drone stri kes against Pakistan. Khar also expressed similar views. About postponement of P resident Putins visit, Lavrov clarified that Putin has already conveyed to Presid ent Zardari that he was unable to visit Pakistan due to tough schedule. Recently, both the countries have signed three agreements (as part of MOUs), and Moscow will cooperate in moderanisation of Pakistan Steel Mills, the up-gradati on of Pakistan Railways and enhancing power generation. Besides, recently, the t wo countries held their second inter-governmental commission (IGC) on trade, eco nomic, scientific and technical cooperation in Islamabad and discussed concrete proposals in various areas of cooperation. It is mentionable that we cannot see Pak-Russia new relationship in isolation as both the countries need each others assistance due to emerging geo-political sce nario in the world, focusing on Afghanistan, while Pakistan has become special a rena of the major countiries rivalries. During his Asia visit, on June 2, this ye ar, US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta disclosed, The United States will shift a m ajority of its warships to the Asia-Pacific region by 2020 as part of a new US mi litary strategy in Asia. The main is to counterbalance China in Asia. While Russ ia opposes US intentions to deploy national missile defence system (NMD) in Euro pe, and expansion of NATO towards Eastern Europe. In this backdrop, the Russian President Putin had openly stated that his country was returning to its Soviet e ra practice. Besides, some other developments like rejection of US-led western s anctions against China by Russia and Iran, their joint veto of UN Security Counc il resolution against Syria and Turkeys increase of trade with Iran indicates new shift in world politics. Meanwhile, Moscow and Beijing have asked the US to res olve the question of Irans nuclear programme peacefully. But America and Israel a re still acting upon a war-like diplomacy against Tehran. Notably, it is also owing to the Pakistans province of Balochistan where China ha s invested billion of dollars to develop Gwadar seaport which could link Central Asian trade with rest of the world irritates US and India. Therefore, their sec ret agencies have been destabilising Balochistan and other cities of Pakistan in cluding Iranian Sistan through various subversive activities. Pakistan also reje cted American duress in relation to IP gas pipeline, and is no more interested i n the US-supported gas pipeline TAP. Taking note of US anti-Pakistan plans such as drone attacks, pressure to launch military operation in North Waziristan etc. , besides China, Pakistan has also cultivated its relationship with the Russian Federation. In 2010, President Putin publicly endorsed Pakistan bid to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) which includes Russia, China, four Centr al Asian Republics as permenent members, and Pakistan and Iran as observers. Put in also remarked that Pakistan was very important partner for Moscow in South As ia and the Muslim world. Notably, during her trip to Moscow on February 9, 2011, Foreign Minister Khar stated that SCO was an exceptionally important forum with in the region to counter regional challenges. Pakistans President Asif Ali Zardar i participated in the 12th summit of the Shanghai SCO recently held in Beijing. In their speeches, hinting towards US secret designs, Chinese president Hu Jinta o and President Putin stated, Only when SCO member states remain united can they effectively cope with emerging challengesenhancing security cooperation. In variou s summits, the SCO leaders displayed strength against the US rising dominance in

the region and military presence in Afghanistan, near Central Asia. Nevertheles s, Russia has offered Pakistan counter-terrorism equipments. When Russian milita ry Chief Col-Gen. Alexander Postnikov visited Pakistan in May 2011, he even disc ussed with Gen. Kayanithe possibility of expanding defence ties by holding joint military exercises, exchanging trainees and trainers and selling and buying weap ons. In this context, Gen. Kayanis four day trip to Russia has consolidated progress i n defence cooperation as his Russian counterpart gave a positive response. Nonet heless, after the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan in 2014, US which s igned an agreement of partnership with Kabul, has decided to establish six milit ary bases in that country having eyes on the energy resources of Central Asia, w ith multiple strategic aims against Pakistan, China, Iran and Russia. US also en couraged India to take a more active role in Afghanistan. However, Moscow wants to get more involved in regional affairs to counterbalance growing influence of US in Afghanistan. It knows that due to its strategic geo-political location, Pa kistan can play a key role in Afghanistan for Russian interests. So, Pak-Russian reorientation of relationship is owing to the emerging geo-political.