Gender discrimination is somehow part of every society. Women face inequality in terms of basic social or political rights in many parts of the countries around the globe. Crime against women was committed during war and peace times in the early centuries as they were the vulnerable targets, but then, a sense of realization was witnessed in the masses all around the world which eventually led to the formation of International laws for women rights and the prohibition against all kind of violence against women to protect women and provide them with a secure environment to reside in.
Pakistan’s constitution has rights of women mentioned in it but the society does not fail to oppress women rights. Deprivation of women rights also has cultural root causes. An example of this is that Pakistan gives women the right to vote but in some rural areas women do not vote. Other than that, crimes against women like rape and sexual harassment have also arisen in Pakistan. This means that there is a lack of security and the failure of the government to provide protection to the women. According to a 2020 report cited by Geo News, at least 11 rape incidents are reported in Pakistan every day, with over 22,000 cases filed across the country. This is one of the major reasons for which protests and women rights ca be considered as justified.

Seeking women rights is not a new idea in Pakistan rather there have had been many movements and activism for women rights made in the history.
Women March has been a very prominent movement in Pakistan demanding women rights. It was initiated on the basis of Pakistani women facing types of social ills and the systematic deprivation of basic rights which includes early childhood marriages, sexual harassment at home, markets, workplaces, public transport or everywhere, and lack of safe access to public spaces, to end domestic violence. The movement also aimed at achieving freedom and the right of choice and equality. Women also face abuse for revenge like acid attacks, and honour killings without being addressed which are regularly silenced by society and frequently overlooked by the state. This movement has also been criticized due to certain reasons. The movement was very much based on liberal feminism. Some slogans and placards showed the idea of liberalism in it and this became the reason for criticism of this movement. Liberalism was not the problem but the main problem was that the march lost its main idea of demanding basic women rights, in fact, the banners and the placards portray hatred against men though the idea of feminism is not to hate men but rather seek equal rights. Since Pakistan is an Islamic republic so the western ideas of feminism would not fit in.

On the other hand, another movement began adjacent to this Aurat March which was initiated by the political party of Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islaami named as Haqooq e Niswaan. They had decent slogans and placards. Haqooq-e-Niswaan movement demanded women rights keeping in view the rights of women in Islam but was not given enough coverage.
The rights of women can be achieved through peaceful means by sticking to the main purpose of the movement and not inculcating liberal views in their motives. The idea of demanding basic human rights should be the primary motive while keeping in view that the idea of feminism is not to hate men but rather to seek equal rights. When the slogans in movements are being made, they should be made by keeping in mind the status of your society and should be clear enough that no one perceives it wrongly and it goes against the ideologies and principles of Islamic society.
Our Father of the nation, Quaid e Azam, also quoted many times in favour of women rights and one of his famous quote is:
“No nation can ever be worthy of its existence that cannot take its women along with the men. No struggle can ever succeed without women participating side by side with men.”

Admiral Michael Gilday, chief of US naval operations, on 19th October 2022 raised concerns that China’s President Xi Jinping may be much more eager than previously expected to take hold of Taiwan. The US military must be ready to counter a potential invasion of Taiwan.
Admiral’s statement came as Taiwan’s top security official informed any attempt to invade Taiwan would fail and turn China into an “international pariah”. On the other hand, China’s President Xi is at the point of securing a third five-year term at the helm of the world´s most populous nation, delivering a landmark Communist Party Congress speech on 16th October 2022 where he reiterated his vow to one day “reunify,” or forcefully take, Taiwan.

In a dialogue with a think tank, Admiral Michael Gilday was asked to comment on President Xi’s speech and whether he thinks that China will manage to seize Taiwan by 2027. On replying, Gilday was of the view that “It is not just what President Xi says, it is how the Chinese behave and what they do”. And what we’ve seen over the past 20 years is that they have delivered on every promise they have made earlier than they said they were going to deliver on it. So when we talk about the 2027 window in my mind, that has to be a 2022 window or potentially a 2023 window. I cannot rule that out. I don´t mean at all to be alarmist by saying that. It’s just that we can’t wish that away.”

Taiwan’s national security chief Chen Ming-tong upon considering the situation warned Xi Jinping. He said, “I want to solemnly tell the Beijing authorities that there is no chance of winning to attack Taiwan by force. It would lead to international economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation, ruining his (Xi’s) ‘great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making him a sinner of the Chinese nation.”

Moreover, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken addressed that China’s designs to seize Taiwan “on a much faster timeline” than previously thought, adding that “a very different China” had emerged under Xi. Blinken also raised awareness regarding global trade that any instability over Taiwan would have an “enormous” impact on the trade flows.

However, Taiwan is not considered a treaty ally of US but Congress is compelled by law to sell Taipei defensive weapons and there is bipartisan support for protecting what has become a progressive democracy and vital global trade partner. China’s viewpoint is that it wants to pursue “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan and also holds the right to use force if needed, especially if Taiwan formally declares independence.

On 19th October 2022, the Palestinian movement Hamas restored its relations with Syria after the delegation visited President Bashar al-Asad in Damascus. This was followed by a historic meeting between the two entities. Hamas was once Syria’s closest ally due to their common enmity against Israel. But in the year of 2012, this group left Syria after strongly condemning the Assad regime’s brutal suppression.

Hamas chief of Arab relations Khalil al-Hayya told reporters in Damascus that “this is a glorious and important day, in which we come back to our dear Syria to resume joint work, Hamas and Assad have agreed to “move on from the past and look to the future”. Al-Hayya revealed that this move was backed by Hamas leadership and the Palestinian group’s foreign sponsors. “All the states we notified of our decision were welcoming and supportive of the move, including Qatar and Turkey, who encouraged us to take the step,” al-Hayya said.
A Hamas leader is reported to have said that the organization’s headquarters which was located in Syria before its departure, aims to restore its Damascus office. But the official also informed that it will be too early to give confirmation regarding this development.

Maha Yahya of the Carnegie Middle East Centre claimed that the meeting with Assad “is in line with the broader rapprochement between Hezbollah and Hamas evident in Lebanon over the past year or more”. The Syrian presidency said Assad met a delegation of Palestinian leaders without mentioning the resuming of ties with Hamas. But the presidency aired a video of Assad and Al-Hayya holding hands as they came along with other Palestinian officials.

The two-day Hamas visit to Syria comes after the organization signed a reconciliation deal with its Palestinian rival Fatah in Algiers, promising to conduct elections by next October in a bid to settle a 15-year intra-Palestinian rift.

The restoration of relationship between Hamas and Syria came amid significant changes in Middle East relationships. This comprises Hamas’s long-time ally Turkiye resuming a full diplomatic relationship with Israel in August 2022.
Charles Lister, Director of the Syria Programme at the Middle East Institute, said rapprochement is the “only logical move” Hamas could take. “Given the prevailing regional trend of Arab engagement with Israel, it’s not surprising to see Hamas’ leadership in Gaza seeking to re-enhance and amplify their role within the Axis of Resistance,” he said.
This restoration of ties with Syria paved the way for Hamas to secure its part within the “axis of resistance” in opposition to its arch-rival Israel.

Blue economy or blue growth as a concept came from a book written by Gunter Pauli. It is a relatively new concept that internationally came to light in 2012. It refers to strategic and sustainable use of marine resources for the development of the economy and the well-being of human beings. It offers a green approach to meet the aspirations of mankind. Blue economy involves the integration of ocean economy development with the principles of social inclusion, environmental sustainability and innovative dynamic business models such as the creation of environment-friendly infrastructures in the oceans.
A sustainable blue economy is very important because the sectors involved in the oceans, coasts and maritime environment are so diverse that if one industry goes for it exploits it and makes a lot of money it can destroy other industries. Thus, it is very important that a balance is created and sustainable development is maintained because particularly environmental tourism and nature tourism which are very large areas of those industries at the moment and particularly the coastal regions can be threatened. So, investment is needed in sustainable solutions and quick gains must be discarded in the favor of long-term goals. We should make sure that we responsibly use our shared resources, for both our present and future generations.

SIGNIFICANCE OF BLUE ECONOMY

There are countless benefits that we gain from the oceans in our daily life but we do not realize it. Oceans contribute about 3-5% of global GDP. They are a vital source of our food, annually fishing industry alone generates $80 billion. Oceans two biggest economic benefits are trade and employment which have always led to the exploitation of oceans. According to an estimate of 2010, blue economy added $ 1.5 trillion to world GDP while it directly employed 31000,000 individuals. Whereas, in 2016 according to FAO estimate fisheries and aqua culture involved 59.6 million people. Hence it represents an immense employment sector around the world whether directly or indirectly even in Europe alone blue sector offers 3,362510 jobs in 9 different sectors. About 90% of world trade takes place through oceans. Blue economy drives socio-economic benefits for present and future generations. Major states realized the importance of blue economy and engaged in activities to realize this idea for instance World Bank has initiated a program with name ‘PROBLUE’ to explore the opportunities of blue economy and ways for renewable and sustainable development of this economy.

OPPORTUNITIES

Sea and inland waters give noteworthy advantages to humankind. But keeping in view the current environmental degradation, this crucial asset is being deteriorating quickly with overfishing, contamination from land-based sources and overconsumption. Consequently, harnessing the maximum capacity of the seas and inland waters require policies and programs that are ecologically, socially and economically sustainable. There is a wide accord that Blue Economy can satisfy the necessities of increasing global demand for resources. This has been emphasized by many international forums, for example, OECD, UNEP and FAO. Few of the opportunities that can open up new avenues in blue economy are Marine Aquaculture, Marine Transport, Offshore wind energy, Offshore oil, Bio prospecting and Marine Tourism.

SCOPE OF BLUE ECONOMY FOR PAKISTAN

Pakistan has marine area of 290,000 square km which makes up to 36.4% of the country’s territory. If the maritime area of Pakistan were a land piece, then it would be a little greater than Punjab province. This tells that Pakistan has blessed blue economic zone. The all-year functional seaport of Karachi and Port Qasim and world’s deepest port Gwadar with its strategic location add more to its significance. Despite all this, unfortunately, Pakistan suffers from what we call sea blindness. Some of the prospects for blue economy in Pakistan are discussed in the following paragraphs.
Pakistan’s multibillion-dollar CPEC project is being hailed as a watershed moment in the country’s blue growth. The CPEC is regarded as the jugular vein of China’s multitrillion-dollar BRI initiative. Moreover, Pakistan’s blue economy can greatly benefit from energy production from its seas and coast. One form of energy called tidal energy is gaining great interest. Utilizing this energy could be a renewable source of energy for its coastal cities of Gwadar, Karachi etc. Pakistan’s National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in 1988, identified 17 coastal creeks for tidal energy. Similarly, wind energy near coastal areas, especially Balochistan are plump with strong winds. A survey identified an 18 MW energy potential on 1 km of land near the coastal belt.
It is well known that 80% – 90% of the world’s trade passes through the oceans. In the case of Pakistan, estimates put it at an astounding 95%. The shipping industry of Pakistan makes only $183 million. Compared to our South Asian neighbors, India makes $5.6 billion and Bangladesh makes $6 billion. If Pakistan inducts more ships and bridges the gap, a vast potential is present to decrease cost of imports as well as employ more Pakistanis and earn more money into the exchequer.
Ports in Pakistan are plenty but the main two ones are Karachi and Gwadar. Most of Pakistan’s trade passes through Karachi, but development of Gwadar port under CPEC has been a game-changer. Gwadar lessens the distance from more than 10,000 km to 2000 km – 3000 km. Soon afterwards, the rest of Chinese trade will go through Gwadar and Pakistan can profit greatly from all the traffic and tax.
Moreover, according to reports, we earn $100 million from our ship-breaking yards meanwhile the potential stands at $3 billion. The main issue lies with our Gadiani ship-breaking yard. Its Pakistan’s main and major ship-breaking yard, however, it is plagued with accidents, fires and deaths every few months. Low wages, poor equipment, government negligence and bad conditions pave way for an inefficient and danger prone environment. The money should be diverting to Gadiani ship-breaking yard’s upgradation and infrastructure so that Pakistan can become a top ship-breaking nation.
Pakistan’s 990 km coastal belt with a 320 nautical mile ocean claim covering 290,000 square km has a variety and excess of fish and marine life present. The government needs to tap this industry as it will prove effective for exports and domestic sales as well.
When talking about marine tourism, Pakistan must take inspiration from countries like Maldives, Sri Lanka, Philippines to develop the God gifted beautiful beaches and islands. According to experts, the total potential stands at $5 Billion for Pakistan.

Conclusion:

The political elite in Pakistan must drive their focus towards blue economy and show strong commitment and seriousness to this sector. Pakistan must invest in both intellectual and physical resources as well as needs to take ironclad measures. Challenges in this path such as poor infrastructure, red tape inside the system, bureaucratic bottlenecks, regional instability, particularly a severe law and order situation in Balochistan, and a lack of cooperation between departments and ministries must all be addressed.

The outer space arena has become more integral to the earth than ever before. The number of space assets has increased massively in the last 50 years. This rapid increase in the importance of space has led to an increase in space-faring nations which are conducting military missions in space. They operate on the principle of National Space-power which is a totality of a nation’s use of space capabilities in pursuit of national prosperity and security. This gave rise to the pursuit of space superiority through which state can deny space domain freedom of action to its adversaries which is a crucial fuel behind increasing space warfare.
Space warfare is simply a combat that takes place in outer space. This concept has its roots in the Space Race of 20th Century competition between two Cold War adversaries. Both countries developed anti-satellite weaponry along with working on information technology as well as cyber warfare and cyber security.

United States:

The United States is the current leader in the world of global space affairs. While it wasn’t the first nation to use taxpayer money for the exploration of the “unknown frontier”, it used its jealousy and fear of the Soviet Union’s space ambitions to propel itself slowly but surely to the top of the pyramid of hierarchy in space. The United States and the Soviet Union competed in the “Space Race” from the 50s to the late 80s, a global battle of wits and money, the United States was able to win the space race because of its economic capabilities and solid technical base. The United States in the modern day uses its extensive space program to support both its civil and military interests. The United States is the major participant in the International Space Station and solely operates the Global Positioning System, originally developed to provide navigational data to the US military, both for the military and civilian users. But the United States does not see its position in space as certain. Its main vulnerability in space is from incoming ballistic missiles and cyber-attacks on its civilian and military satellite infrastructure. Thus, in the current era, the US feels threatened in space from China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.
United States has made agencies such as the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to protect itself and its allies from missile threats emerging from space. The Agency has been to date responsible for developing and maintaining programs for missile defense. The United States has developed new military satellites and is participating with its allies in the defense of space. But by far the most important action it has taken in this regard to date has been the formation of the United States Space Force.

Russia, a state labelled as one of the two rivals of cold war and space race. The year 1957 marks the lead of Soviet Union in the space race. This was made possible when Soviet Union achieved the first successful artificial satellite launch on October 4, 1957 of Sputnik 1, and sent the first human to space with the orbital flight of Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961.
Russia is arguably the leading space power. It has the primacy of launching the most manned space flights than other countries combined. Secure World Foundation (SWF) is reported to have said that Russia is expanding its counter-space weapons and capabilities. Through electronic warfare, Russia is extending its anti-access/area denial approach in outer space for developing offensive capabilities against ground-based space infrastructure. It is said that Russian civilian and military space program have the potential to be matched with that of the US. Some of the Russian capabilities include Anti-Satellite Systems, Military Space-Based Systems, Imaging Satellites, Signal Intelligence and Navigation Satellites.

China:

China claims its rise as a “peaceful rise”. Pentagon is facing a fearful question that Chinese aggressive rise in space may turn out to be the weapon to bring America down. China’s space mission is particularly impressive and aggressive. There are three factors which are showing an aggressive rise from China. China is building many distinct technologies for exploring space. Secondly the extraction and transport of energy sources from space to Chinese factories. The third is to show Darwinian safety valve for the earth. China has intentions to militarize space. It has believed that there are two ways of countering US in space. One method is to destroy all of their satellites. And the other way is to blind their inspection bird in space. China has already checked several ways of implementing its strategy. China is building anti-satellite weapons to kick US GPS system out of space. It is going to pollute the space and is also building and testing space kidnappers. The main goal of China to conquer space is to track the military movement and damage the US space system.

Other emerging powers:

There are other countries who have started making their efforts for space warfare. Some of the prominent countries include UK, France, India and Iran. UK is currently investing in increasing its capabilities in space. UK’s Europe-mate France has also announced an ambitious space weapons program in 2019 for the protection of its assets in space. This includes patrolling nano-satellite swarms, ground-based laser systems to blind-spying satellites, and machine guns mounted on satellites. Moving towards the east, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps successfully launched a military satellite in 2020 to showcase Iran’s technological advancements. Previously, Iran also hacked US GPS to force land a US drone. Another emerging power India established her Defense Space Agency in 2019 & became only the fourth country in the world to shot down a satellite during her Mission Shakti. The motivation behind India’s focus towards space warfare is due to its animosity towards China & Pakistan.

Global Implications:

This securitization of outer space can lead towards a renewed space race and possibly a new Cold War based on the pursuit of space hegemony. This will have numerous global implications such as GPS failure, blackout in countries, increase in Cyberattacks & Espionage and possible cancellation of the Outer Space Treaty.

Conclusion:

As Mark Twain said “History doesn’t repeat itself but it often rhymes,” there exists a huge chance of revival of the cold war with NATO and Russia/China being the two most pivotal alliances. Therefore, the future looks dark considering the global implications of space warfare. Thus, there’s little time to dilly dally otherwise the world will suffer massively and stars wars will be our future. As it is difficult to stop proliferation later, there’s an urgent need for collective action by states because all states will be equally vulnerable to potential future threats. Therefore, states should opt for banning weaponization or at least consider placing limits on militarization in space just like arms control treaties.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei publicly addressed on 3rd September 2022 the massive protests going on in Iran, breaking weeks of silence to condemn and blame US and Israel for the happenings in Iran.
The unrest in Iran erupted after the death o a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, who was detained by Iran’s morality police on 13 September 2022 in Tehran. She was restricted on the charges of not abiding by the strict law where women are required to cover their heads with a hijab. The family of the victim is of the view that officers strike her head with a baton and hit her head against vehicles. But on the other hand, police denied this statement and said that the woman suffered a “sudden heart failure”. This ignited anti-government protests all over Iran. Women have led the protests, waving their headscarves in the air or putting them on fire to chants of “Woman, life, freedom” and “Death to the dictator”.

Khamenei in his talks with the cadre of police students in Tehran said he was “deeply heartbroken” by the death of Mahsa Amini, considering it a “tragic incident.” However, the leader saw the protests with criticism and labelled it as a foreign conspiracy as they could not tolerate Iran “attaining strength in all spheres”. Also, he condemned scenes of protesters ripping off their hijabs and setting mosques, banks and police cars on fire. Ayatollah stated that “this rioting was planned”. He also claimed that “I say clearly that these riots and the insecurity were engineered by America and the occupying, false Zionist regime (Israel), as well as their paid agents, with the help of some traitorous Iranians abroad.” With this, the supreme leader urged that “those who foment unrest to sabotage the Islamic Republic deserve harsh prosecution and punishment.”

US President Joe Biden said he was “gravely concerned” about reports of the “intensifying violent crackdown on peaceful protesters”. The protesters were calling for “just and universal principles”, he said, adding that the US “stands with Iranian women” who were “inspiring the world with their bravery”. In light of these circumstances, Biden’s administration has imposed sanctions on Iran’s morality police. Furthermore, the US has also relieved some internet sanctions on the Iranians intending to evade restrictions imposed by the government since the protests emerged.

Moreover, UK summoned Iran’s most senior diplomat in London to inform the leaders in Iran that “instead of blaming external actors for the unrest, they should take responsibility for their actions and listen to the concerns of their people”.
In view of the above circumstances, the protests are turning into a challenge for the Iranian supreme leader. The masses are charged with rage against the authorities declaring that “don’t call it a protest, it’s a revolution now”.

Food can be considered an ambassador in itself. In addition, food has played a part in maintaining peaceful relations between the states. The Romans used this strategy and shared their food with their adversaries with the aim of peacebuilding. This sharing of meals and eating together which is known as commensality drive people to become more open toward each other and an environment of mutual understanding is developed. This initiates a diplomatic bond, which leads countries to resolve their differences.

The idea of “Culinary Diplomacy” means that food and cuisines are utilized to build cross-cultural understanding in order to drive the countries towards cooperation, settlement, and improving interactions. Culinary diplomacy promotes cultural understanding among states as food allows access to cultures of different countries. Under this context, food not only enjoys the status of a meal but also paves the way between countries and individuals. It is also said that this culinary diplomacy can efficiently resolve conflicts way better than normal or traditional diplomacy.

Becoming a culinary diplomat is considered very simple. This can be done by having meals with different people. This can initiate a global society which will lead to peace between cultures of different countries. Through food, new friendships can be initiated by means of commonality.
Many governments sponsor such culinary diplomacy programs in various countries like Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Peru, and the United States.
Thailand’s government has initiated the “Global Thai Program” which not only aims to introduce spicy foods to thousands of people across the world, open restaurants, and increase tourism in Thailand but also they aim to increase cordial relations with other countries. Improving relations will lead to conflict resolution between the states and thus improve foreign policy goals.

The United States have also progressed in the sector of culinary diplomacy as well. Through programs such as the Diplomatic Culinary Partnership and educational culinary diplomacy exchanges the Department of State has asked food experts to make meals for visiting diplomats, has sent American chefs abroad to introduce American culture, or asked foreign chefs to visit the U.S. to share their culture with Americans.
Conflict Kitchen also serves as a source of culinary diplomacy in the United States. This café serves foods and cuisines of the countries which are considered adversaries of the United States. This aimed at making its customers understand that even the enemies eat the same food as Americans do. This step aimed to reduce tensions between the states and intended at conflict resolution eventually leading to cooperation and settlement between the American countries and other states.

We can witness many examples of culinary diplomacy being practiced in the international arena. One of them is the “Hot Dog Diplomacy”. Franklin D. Roosevelt invited the king and queen of England. This was called as the “Hot Dog Summit”. This summit is of great importance in the American-Anglo relationship and led to their cooperation. At the picnic, the king and queen were served hot dogs. These hot dogs became a source of protection of the western world from the Nazis.
As we have seen that food can serve as a means to send gestures of love to other countries with the intention of improving relations. But this act can also lead to unintended results and bitter relations between the states.

Relations between Serbia and Croatia deteriorated because of chocolate. In the year of 2016, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar visited Dubrovnik on an occasion. Besides the meetings and celebrations, the President also visited the local children and gave them some presents. When these presents were opened, some of the parents showed displeasure as the presents included some Serbian chocolates. This was not cherished by anyone. Consequently, the president apologized for the Serbian chocolates but this was not liked by the Serbs, both internationally and locally. Therefore, this apology created grievances between the two countries. The presents were unable to produce the intended results and instead led to a bitter relationship between Serbia and Croatia.
So, diplomacy between the states is essential in this international world. Without diplomacy, it is possible that states become isolated. However, many states practice traditional diplomacy, which at times does not prove to be successful. Therefore, non-traditional forms of diplomacy should be considered which assist the state while using soft power to maintain relations with other states while settling disputes and agreements and avoiding conflict. Culinary diplomacy is one such form. This diplomacy revolves around food and culture, which mostly leads to cooperation and settlement. Food nurtures bilateral ties and as food is a vital necessity, culinary diplomacy will not diminish and continue to cater to states as is evident today in International Relations. Historically, this diplomacy has proven successful in many instances.

The term of blue growth or blue economy was coined in 2010 by Gunter Pauli in 2010. Just 2 years later in 2012, it become debuted successfully at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.

“A blue economy is a long-term strategy aimed at supporting sustainable economic growth through oceans-related sectors and activities, while improving human well-being and social equity and preserving the environment.”

Wu Hongbo, Secretary-General of the Ocean Conference and Under-Secretary-General of UN DESA

For the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the blue economy earns around $450 million, which is meagre taking into context the resources available to us. Experts put the value of Pakistan’s blue economy well over $100 billion if a proper blue growth future plan is implemented.
When looking into the current situation and future opportunities for Pakistan, there are multiple sectors in which Pakistan have the potential to prosper.

One of the sectors is Tidal and Wind Energy. Pakistan’s blue economy can greatly benefit from energy production from its seas and coast. One form of energy called tidal energy is gaining great interest. Tidal energy produces electricity from the kinetic energy of the oceans waves. Utilizing this energy could be a renewable source of energy for its coastal cities of Gwadar, Karachi etc. Many countries, even China have successful projects. Pakistan’s National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in 1988, identified 17 coastal creeks for tidal energy. In present day, the technology to measure and efficiently produce this type of energy has increased manifold. It’s all a matter of initiative. Similarly, wind energy near coastal areas, especially Balochistan are plump with strong winds. A survey identified an 18 MW energy potential on 1 km of land near the coastal belt. Considering this, a small initial investment in this regard would yield better and longer term results.

Furthermore, the Shipping Industry of Pakistan can also advance Pakistan’s blue growth. The former shell, the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) currently has only 12 ships under its name. 99% of Pakistan’s oil imports are shipped by these 12 ships, meanwhile, their contribution of the rest of Pakistan’s trade is a meagre 7%. It is well known that 80% – 90% of the world’s trade passes through the oceans. In the case of Pakistan, estimates put it at an astounding 95%. This means that the rest of the trade which does not come via the PNSC is subjected to foreign ships which charge additional money, which goes in other countries pockets. The shipping industry of Pakistan makes only $183 million. Compared to our South Asian neighbours, India makes $5.6 billion and Bangladesh makes $6 billion. $3.5 billion of Pakistanis money goes into freight charges from using foreign ships. If Pakistan inducts more ships and bridges the gap, a vast potential is present to decrease cost of imports as well as employ more Pakistanis and earn more money into the exchequer.
Moreover, the prospects for blue growth also lie in Ports. Ports in Pakistan are plenty but the main two ones are Karachi and Gwadar. Most of Pakistan’s trade passes through Karachi, but the development of Gwadar port under CPEC has been a game-changer. China wishes to de-securitize its sea trade, especially its oil imports. Gwadar lessens the distance and achieves this problem by lessening the distance from more than 10,000 km to 2000 km – 3000 km. Soon afterwards, the rest of Chinese trade will go through Gwadar and Pakistan can profit greatly from all the traffic and tax. Similarly, China’s Linear Shipping Connectivity Index (LSCI), measuring ease of doing port shipping, is the highest in the world with 151 points. Pakistan stands at only 34 points. Under an agreement in CPEC, Pakistan can get Chinese expertise and improve the attractiveness of their ports. This can help ease congestion and speed up port activities as well.

Shipbreaking yard is another sector to be considered for blue growth. NGO Shipbreaking Platform is a shipbreaking monitoring organization originating from the European Union and afterwards going global (now focuses mostly on South Asia). According to its 2018-2019 2-year report, 70% of all ships went to South Asia i.e. Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. Unfortunately, Pakistan only received 115 ships in its yards meanwhile Bangladesh and India got 4 times the number of ships. According to reports, we earn $100 million from our ship-breaking yards meanwhile the potential stands at $3 billion. The main issue lies with our Gadiani ship-breaking yard. Its Pakistan’s main and major ship-breaking yard, however, it is plagued with accidents, fires and deaths every few months. After each accident, the yard is closed for months and then the cycle continues. Low wages, poor equipment, government negligence and bad conditions pave way for an inefficient and danger prone environment. The government instead of focusing on Gadiani have set their eyes on building another ship-breaking yard at Gwadar. Though that is a welcomed move, it is not the correct one. The money should be diverting to Gadiani ship-breaking yard’s upgradation and infrastructure so we can become a top ship-breaking nation and earn profits by recycling etc.

Furthermore, the Fishing Industry of Pakistan cannot be neglected when taking blue growth into discussion. Pakistan’s 990 km coastal belt with a 320 nautical mile ocean claim covering 290,000 square km has a variety and excess of fish and marine life present. Yet the statistics tell us that our blue growth is minimal. A mere $351 million is earned by the fishing industry compared to the $2 billion estimated potential. Pakistan’s Fish and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which counts the statistics and regulates them, said that only 771,608 tons of fish were captured in 2018. India and Bangladesh both produced 26 and 10 times more than us respectively. The main aim for the future should be incentivizing, investment and modernization of the fishing vessels. Our 10,000 strong fishing vessels are nothing compared to India. Even Bangladesh has more than 60,000 fishing vessels. The government needs to tap this industry as it will prove effective for exports and domestic sales as well.

Along with the other sectors, Marine tourism also promotes Pakistan’s blue growth. Marine tourism is an internationally beloved industry attracting billions worldwide. South Asia already makes $31 Billion from marine tourism. However, Pakistan only adds $50,000 to the GDP from this industry. Pakistan’s main issue is development and infrastructure. It should look at examples of other countries both in the West (US, Spain, France) and in Asia (Maldives, Sri Lanka, Philippines) to develop the God gifted beautiful beaches. Many activities and events can be produced. The total potential stands at $5 Billion for Pakistan.
Pakistan has begun to strive toward a blue economy, and the ambition of long-term growth and development will only be realized if the political elite shows strong commitment and seriousness to this sector. Pakistan must invest in both intellectual and physical resources as well as needs to take ironclad measures. At last, the poor infrastructure, red tape inside the system, bureaucratic bottlenecks, regional instability, particularly a severe law and order situation in Balochistan, and a lack of cooperation and knowledge between departments and ministries must all be addressed.

Russian troops, on Saturday, have withdrawn from Lyman, a city in Donetsk Province which was considered a strategic city for Russia’s operations in the east. This development followed soon after President Vladimir Putin’s announcement to annex the region and is seen as a notable setback for Moscow. The city of Lyman, which fell to the Russians in May, serves as a rail hub that flows into Donbas, the mineral-rich region in the Donetsk and neighbouring Luhansk provinces that has long been the pivot point of Putin’s war strategies.

The loss of Lyman puts additional pressure on Russia, which has been encountering grave repercussions at home over its losses on the battleground and over the enrolment of thousands of men to fight in Ukraine. Russia’s Ministry of Defense decided to pull back from Lyman hours after Ukraine’s Defense Ministry stated that their troops were advancing towards the city. Russia’s Ministry then asserted that “due to the risk to be encircled, the allied forces were withdrawn” from the city to “more advantageous” locations.

Lyman coming under Ukraine’s control exhibits that their troops have gained a new footing in the region and are prepared to claw back territory before winter sets in. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said: “Ukraine’s capture of a city within territory of Putin’s declared annexation demonstrates that Ukrainians are making progress and can push back against Russian forces”.
After Russia’s failure in Lyman, a continuous wave of criticism of Russia’s actions is witnessed. For instance, Chechnya’s leader and one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s key allies, Ramzan Kadyrov, condemned the activities of Alexander Lapin, the Russian colonel-general who led the defence of Lyman in the Donetsk region and ordered a retreat last weekend. Ramzan Kadyrov stated that “the Russian general who lost a strategic town in eastern Ukraine should spill his blood on the front line to “wash away his shame”. It is also said that the current situation of Russia corresponds to the revolution of 1917 that led to the collapse of Tsar Nicholas 2 and set the scene for Communist rule.
After all this episode, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that the success of Ukraine does not cease here and in reality, Ukraine is heading towards a counteroffensive in the northeast of the country as it strives to recover more occupied land from Russia. Also, according to the analysts, the next target, if the Ukrainian military keeps up its advance, would probably be Svatove, a city northeast of Lyman where Russians have retrenched.