The Geo-Strategic Importance of Pakistan and its Role in Regional Politics

Abstract

The geographical location of a country is one of the important determinants that define its role in
world politics. Having an important strategic location, Pakistan remains important for power games
in the world generally and in South Asia particularly. The current study is an attempt to discuss the
strategic and geographical importance of Pakistan and its role in regional politics. Pakistan is a
gateway to East Asia from the western side and to Central Asia from the eastern side. Furthermore,
it is a neighbor of China which is one of the important game players in regional and international
politics. CPEC is the regional project of China to peruse its economic and strategic interest in South
Asia. Pakistan is located in a region that has a great political, economic and strategic location. It has
been hub of activities of great powers for the last 20 years. It has witnessed the intervention of
three great powers i-e Britain, USSR, and USA. Its significance was further enhanced during the cold
war when it becomes an ally of US containment policy of USSR and now the post-cold war era has
witnessed its significance particularly after the events of 9/11. Pakistan is playing a pivotal role as a
front-line state in the US War on Terror. The US experts also accepted the fact that peace in
Afghanistan is not possible without the help of Pakistan and the US cannot win the war against
terrorism in Afghanistan.