In the event that the US continues prioritizing China, then Pakistan’s CPEC will become more important than ever for facilitating the People’s Republic’s geo-economic engagement with the rest of the Eurasian supercontinent as well as serving as a shortcut for doing the same with Africa.

In Pakistan, if the ‘security of the people' is the mainstay of the National Security Policy, as is defined on page one of the document, then one should first and foremost examine what is threatening the security of the people.

One of the fundamental reasons behind Pakistan’s volatile economic performance for the last many decades is that we have not been able to develop and implement a strategic economic security framework customized to our socio-economic and geo-political dynamics.

As Pakistan enters its diamond jubilee year, it must debate how to make its democracy work for the people. For if it serves the people, it will serve the country. Pakistan needs a structural overhaul.