A Seminar on Pakistan Relations with Central Asian States was held at Pakistan Study Centre University of Peshawar. Col (retired) Hekmat Afridi; a scholar from International Islamic University was key note speaker.  The seminar was presided by Prof.Dr. Fakhr-ul-Islam while it was attended by staff and scholars of the Centre.

Mr. Afridi gave a background of the theme and apprised the participants about current situation in the region. He said that due to certain reasons, Pakistan could not benefit from opportunity that was available to it after independence of Central Asian states in early 1990’s. He said that on contrary, United States and India have made considerable progress in the region. He said that Pakistan should not wait till restoration of peace in Afghanistan and should chalk out a comprehensive strategy as how to engage all the Central Asian states in trade and cultural ties. He proposed that Pakistan should exchange delegations of academia, youth and other segments of society with these states. He said that since Pakistan has wasted lot of time, therefore, we need to exploit the opportunity on war footings. The seminar was followed by question/answer session.  

While wrapping up the seminar, Prof.Dr. Fakhr-ul-Islam said that Pakistan has got a tremendous geopolitical location but we have not been able so far to benefit from it. He said we need proactive diplomacy for Central Asian states and grab every opportunity to serve our national interest.