CSS 2010 Solved Current Affairs Past Papers | Measures to Bridge Trust Deficit b/w Pakistan & India
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Question Breakdown
This question has one main part in which we are asked to explain the Feasible Measures to Bridge the Existing Trust Deficit Between India and Pakistan.
Outline
1-Introduction
2-Overview of the Trust Deficit Between Pakistan and India
3-Root Causes of the Existing Trust Deficit
4-Feasible Measures to Bridge the Trust Deficit
- ✓Pakistan-India Joint Peacekeeping Initiatives for Regional Stability
- ✓Cross-Border Trade Zones Focused on High-Tech and Green Energy
- ✓Reviving People-to-People Dialogue Through Joint Education and Research Hubs
- ✓Border Sports Diplomacy
- ✓Joint Pakistan-India Environmental Protection Force
- ✓Institutionalizing Pakistan-India Annual Parliamentary Dialogues
5-Critical Analysis
6-Conclusion
Answer to the Question
Introduction
The long history of contentious relationship and rivalry and trust deficit between Pakistan and India, the two nuclear powers in the neighbourhood, makes sustained dialogue and cooperation extremely difficult. Both countries, since their independence in 1947, have been struggling with unresolved disputes, one of which has been the epicentre of conflict and its source of repeated diplomatic breakdowns: the Kashmir region. Incidents of cross-border terrorism, military standoff and highly unfavourable foreign policy orientation have only aggravated this intrinsic distrust. Consequently, virtually any initiative — such as the Composite Dialogue framework — to establish normal relations has been regularly derailed by mutual suspicion. All this must be done to address this trust deficit in several vital areas. In this regard, attainable measures include joint peacekeeping measures for regional stability and cross-border trade zones focused on developing new high-tech and green energy industries. Moreover, people-to-people connections through joint education and research hubs, border sports diplomacy on the one hand, and forming a Pakistan-India environmental protection force on the other could significantly help sharpen public and political attitudes on both sides. Another way to institutionalise trust building and dialogue continuity would be by institutionalising annual parliamentary dialogues for high-level engagement. Fortunately, by assaulting all these critical areas of security, economy, culture, and environment, it would be possible for the two countries to reduce historical mistrust and develop favourable conditions for long-term cooperation in the future.
Overview of the Trust Deficit Between Pakistan and India
To begin with, a history riddled with political and military conflict, on account of which the trust deficit between Pakistan and India is a defining feature of its bilateral relationship. The two have fought several wars since the partition in 1947 — 1947, 1965 and 1971 — each furthering suspicions and animosities. At its core, this mistrust is tied to perhaps the most intractable of all its unresolved disputes — over Kashmir — which quickly became shorthand for both a fight over territory and a struggle over ideology. There have been incidents of cross-border terrorism between the two countries, with most prominently the 2001 Indian Parliament attack and the 2008 Mumbai attacks playing a significant role in increasing the antagonism between the two countries. In addition, the perilous dimension the relationship assumes is nearly added to by both sides’ respective nuclear capabilities, making an escalation of tension a reckless business. Attempts at rapprochement, through entities such as the Composite Dialogue set up in 1997, have been often turned by incidents that tend to renew trust. Despite restricting trade and failing to engage in diplomatic exchanges that would allow local production and sale to fulfil the maximum potential of economic cooperation, trade volumes fall considerably short of their actual. On both sides, media portrayal has frequently also generated negative stereotypes, which have helped to nourish public scepticism and heighten nationalist sentiments. Therefore, these are chronic issues, and naturally, these challenges should be solved, or better yet, solved only through unique and unconventional ways to achieve this trust-building process and build the foundation for a long-term Pakistan-India relationship.
Root Causes of the Existing Trust Deficit
Pakistan and India, which have a history of several conflicts, political and historical enmity, tortuous diplomacy, and chauvinistic acuity, present an indomitable hostility with two different stances and allegations, forever nurturing a mutual distrust. The unresolved Kashmir issue is at the core of this deficit, a territorial dispute that has defined the relations since both received independence. Pakistan, therefore, sees Kashmir not only as a Muslim-majority state but also as a part of the unfinished business of partitioning India and the rights of the people of Kashmir to self-determination. Instead, India considers Kashmir as part of the nation that needs to be protected to preserve the country’s unity. In particular, this conflict has escalated tussles on the battlefield, creating fierce nationalism and partisan politics. In addition to this and outside Kashmir, both nations blame each other for sponsoring acts of subversion; India often blames Pakistan for events such as the 2008 Mumbai attacks by elements within Pakistan, while Pakistan accuses India of supporting insurgent movements in areas like Baluchistan thus eroding trust yet further. In addition, nuclear weapon stocks serve to escalate tensions since both countries will understand that a conflict will bear severe regional implications. Similarly, the ideological differences add to the disco. Whereas India portrays itself as a secular country, Pakistan sees a surge of religious intolerance within the Indian political spectrum, a perception which undermines Indian secularism. Therefore, Indian media mainly portrays Pakistan in a negative manner or, in any case, shows doubt about its credibility. These are a web of territorial disputes, mutual accusations, ideological contrasts, and media-driven nationalism, making the trust deficit self-sustaining, which erects high walls against any effort to restore mutual trust in the long run.
Feasible Measures to Bridge the Trust Deficit
- ✓ Pakistan-India Joint Peacekeeping Initiatives for Regional Stability
To address these deeply rooted issues, initiating collaborative efforts such as joint peacekeeping initiatives can be a practical step toward rebuilding trust between the two countries. An example is that both have a highly refined sense of military, and they served in several United Nations operations for peace worldwide, which can cooperate on regional peace. An example of this type of cooperation is the peacekeeping cooperation between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Particularly after the civil war and acts of ethical cleansing, Rwanda and the DRC had a rocky relationship. However, they learned to cooperate, joining peacekeeping missions in Africa and providing personnel and resources for stabilizing conflict-stricken regions. From this, one might find Pakistan and India pitching for joint peace support operations to South Asia’s troubled spots under a ‘third party’ managed approach for delivering humanitarian aid support, conflict management, and building local capacity. This partnership would provide a stable foundation in unstable areas, and military and civilians would intermingle with their counterparts in other countries. Hence, initiatives of this nature could open the way for a broader peace-making strategy that would show that while the two countries remain fundamentally incompatible regarding shared vision, they are competent enough to at least engage in and share critical security issues. This would mean a significant step towards reconstructing the relations and starting talks all over again.
- ✓ Cross-Border Trade Zones Focused on High-Tech and Green Energy
Building on the foundation of peacekeeping, another impactful approach to bridging the trust deficit is cross-border technology and energy trade zones through economic cooperation that transcends political boundaries between Pakistan and India, a brilliant means of building trust and increasing interdependence between the two countries. Special economic zones focused on such sectors as renewable energy, information technologies, and sustainable development will enable both countries to build upon the agreed economic interests connected to the current global economy. High technology sectors require cooperative investment for both nations to develop synergistic solutions and maximize the benefits of the technologies in question. For instance, Israel and Jordan share industrial areas of cooperation on technology and energy conservation along the border despite being an enemy. This cooperation has enhanced economic relations and gradually borne out of historical enmity. Like in the case of Korea and Japan, the same could be done for Pakistan and India, which could develop certain zones exclusively for green technology, including solar and wind energy equipment production for the region. Such a relationship in the sectors of investment cooperation would encourage economic cooperation to create employment and enhance mutual capacity to withstand the impacts of periodic energy crises. Pakistan and India can further identify those aspects of economic cooperation that can create conditions necessary for initiating a realistic and efficient political dialogue based on a search for cooperation rather than confrontation.
- ✓ Reviving People-to-People Dialogue Through Joint Education and Research Hubs
Beyond economic collaboration, fostering people-to-people connections through educational exchanges offers another promising avenue to reduce mistrust and build sustainable peace. Establishing joint education and research hubs between Pakistan and India will revive people-to-people dialogue, and this way, polity will be inspired to make lasting bonds which will transcend political differences. Educational exchanges supplant a relevant golden chance for students, academics and researchers from both countries to work on projects which tackle common challenges, such as technology development or medical progress. For instance, there is an obvious example of France writing with Germany for the second half of the twentieth century, when we saw these collaborative academic things between these two countries creating Franco-German University to rebuild trust and cooperation. Like Pakistan and India, centres of research and university programs around climate change, public health, and agricultural technology could also be set up between them. Such initiatives encourage young people to do things together and create mutual understanding and respect. Repeatedly, these interactions can change public perceptions and reduce the stereotypes that trigger hostility. By putting money into shared academic platforms, Pakistan and India can boost the intellectual want to give a nation a new generation of people concerned with cooperation as a means of fixing conflicts and one that lays a groundwork for less peaceful and more durable relationships.
- ✓ Border Sports Diplomacy
Sports diplomacy is another way to bridge the existing trust deficit between Pakistan and India. Border sports diplomacy can help the two nations develop friendly relations, and the trust factor may be reconstructed. Sports, in particular, are language and politically neutral; therefore, both nations can engage mutually in the positivity of sport. Sports diplomacy is embodied in what served us in the early 1970s between the United States of America and China, the Ping Pong diplomacy. Trade table tennis players became a diplomatic communication channel, with their help and eventual realization of diplomatic contact between the two nations. Pakistan and India could start such exchanges through friendly cricket series, joint tournaments, or annual sporting events on the Wagah border. These events would point the athletes and the spectators from both sides to the possibility of forgetting the animosity of the other side and giving them shared experiences that could reduce enmity. By encouraging and supporting sports competitions between Pakistan and India, authorities can increase direct friendly contact between the people of the two countries and gradually substitute hatred with respect. Measures of this kind would help prevent temporary escalation of political strife and could easily open up pathways to deeper diplomatic inquiry; it is noted that even little gestures towards building many-sided people’s diplomacy can be of substantial importance in terms of trust reconstruction.
- ✓ Joint Pakistan-India Environmental Protection Force
In addition to sports and education, addressing shared environmental challenges offers a crucial opportunity for collaborative trust-building through joint conservation efforts. Both would gain a platform to cooperate over pressing environmental issues and the simultaneous commitment to protecting both nations’ ecological assets through a Joint Pakistan-India Environmental Protection Force. Air pollution, water scarcity, and climate change are not national border issues, as they affect the lives of every man, woman and child on both sides of the border, regardless of nationality. The Indus River runs from India to Pakistan and is among the most critical resources for agriculture, drinking water, and energy generation. Pollution and the sustainable usage of natural resources could be addressed using a cooperative approach towards managing these from shared resources, following the model of the Rhine Commission France-Germany-Switzerland. Under such an arrangement, Pakistan and India may equally set up an Environmental Cooperation Commission, which promotes the ecosystem’s health status, poses a demonstration project that addresses the pollution issue, and possibly has joint working groups on disaster management possibilities. Such collaboration would mean frequent interactions to build a professional relationship as well as a reciprocation of appreciation of each other as an effort towards achieving mutual objectives. Such an environmental partnership would not only enhance citizens’ quality of life in both nations. Regardless, it shows that Pakistan and India can overcome their differences when acting on shared interests to build the basis for trust in other areas of their relationship.
- ✓ Institutionalizing Pakistan-India Annual Parliamentary Dialogues
In order to supplement such cooperation, the formalisation of diplomatic relations via annual parliamentary debates would provide an unbroken series of dialogue and conflict-solving mechanisms. The periodic holding of authorised parliamentary dialogues between Pakistan and India would provide a structured channel for high-level engagement to talk freely concerning vexed points and participate in a more upfront alternate spectrum of view. It is a platform that would bring together legislators and policymakers from both sides to regularly address core issues, build rapport and find grounds of commonality on all issues about regional peace and stability. The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is a similar example: it is a forum for exchanging ideas and promoting good relations and cooperation between parliamentarians of all countries worldwide in the interest of democracy, peace and sustainable development. Regular exchanges between Pakistan and India could be held at the parliamentary level as the country’s step towards understanding and reducing miscommunication and Pakistan’s ability to meet India on topics such as trade, border security, and cultural exchange. In addition, it would show the public and the international community that both nations are willing to solve their problems peacefully. Thus, institutionalising these meetings would create the ability to speak with a reliable voice to the topic of dialogue to avoid the propensity for sudden escalations and take small steps in their troubled relationship. Sustained parliamentary engagement could also lay the foundations of mutual trust and respect, which are required to get beyond the acute state of suspicion and hostility in which they find themselves.
Critical Analysis
While these initiatives offer promising avenues for reducing the trust deficit, a critical examination reveals potential challenges and limitations that could affect their implementation. Despite that, the measures suggested to make peace with the uncertainty and trust deficit between Pakistan and India should be viewed with caution because there are severe problems to solve. For example, the most intense pre-existing animosity between the official armed forces might comport them against forging a common approach to peace-supporting actions. Establishing cross-border trade zones that focus on hi-tech and green energy is excellent. Nonetheless, it takes a lot of political will and economic investment, which can be hampered by protectionist policies and economic constraints. Educational exchanges and sports diplomacy are people-to-people initiatives that can begin humanising state relations. Regardless, it does this against the background of the relatively inflexible visa regimes and, most importantly, the lack of trust in the respective political cultures of both countries or, more specifically, the lack of trust whereby fear and prejudice constitute a consistent strand of discourse across the political spectrum in both nations. While the environmental cooperation it demands is urgent, political control and funding across borders may not align priorities too quickly, as in other regions where the coordination of environmental problems is troubled by bureaucratic inertia. Perhaps the most viable option would be to institutionalise parliamentary dialogues—and, of course, whether it has been used is contingent on both governments persevering regardless of political climates. Likewise, political factions resisting reconciliation could set back the results of such dialogues. Therefore, these measures provide a structured approach to narrowing the gap in trust deficits. Anyhow, their success depends on the commitment of the nations to overcome internal and external challenges, sustain dialogue and opt for regional stability instead of political gains in the short run.
Conclusion
To conclude, making up for the trust lost over the years between Pakistan and India requires innovative diplomacy coupled with economic, cultural and environmental diplomacy. Cooperation consists of joint peace enforcement and promotion of cross-border economic areas with a focus on the emerging sectors, which forms the basis of cooperative security and a mutually dependent economy. Soft pathways of people-to-people engagements through education, sports, and environmental cooperation are softer but more impactful ways to humanize relations and destroy existing suspicion. Annual parliamentary dialogues might find incorporation into institutional proceedings to provide stability and consistency to diplomatic ties and an arena for working through differences. Unrealized relations are incompatible; if the proposed measures are executed, the bilateral ties will turn from hostile to cautiously cooperating. To achieve this goal, political will, mutual respect, and commitment must be sustained long enough for a more enduring peace. If Pakistan and India succeed in these complicated pathways, they could contribute to stabilizing their relations and even positively to regional security and prosperity, if not the whole region, while offering a more hopeful vision of the future.
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