Ikram Sehgal in conversation with Dr Huma Baqai, Karachi Literature Festival (KLF)
\n Karachi
\nIn a deep-dive conversation with Dr. Huma Baqai, Rector of the Millennium Institute of Technology and Entrepreneurship (MiTE) about the rapid shift in the geopolitical landscape of the subcontinent.
\nIkram Sehgal, Co-Chairman Pathfinder Group, addressed a packed audience at the Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) 2026 on the theme \u201cEvolving Power Dynamics in South Asia\u201d.
\nIkram Sehgal asserted that while political and military avenues remain gridlocked, economic integration is the only \u201cnon-controversial\u201d path to regional stability.
\nHe drew on our unique heritage\u2014describing himself as having \u201cPakistan and Bangladesh \u2013 \u201cTwo Countries One nation\u201d in his DNA to highlight the untapped potential of Pakistan-Bangladesh relations.
\nIkram Sehgal advocated for a borderless South Asian economy starting with Pakistan and Bangladesh and possibly with Sri Lanka, reviving Zia-ur-Rehman\u2019s 1977 vision of \u201cNo visas, No tariffs\u201d which became the basis for SAARC.
\nHe proposed Rupee-Taka compatibility and revealed that it is Pakistani entrepreneurs who drive Bangladesh\u2019s textile success. A key highlight of the talk was the historical economic synergy between Punjab and Bengal, noting that prior to 1947, these regions were the \u201cgranaries\u201d of South Asia.
\nWhile Pakistan is physically attached to the region, it was gradually made isolated by the political dominance of India\u2019s short-sighted parochial current BJP-led government.
\nNoting South Asia to be a \u201cblend of many civilizations,\u201d Ikram Sehgal observed that this diversity included Central Asian, East Asian, and Middle Eastern influences mirrored in modern urban demographics, where cities like Karachi have evolved into ethnic clusters\u2014citing Lyari\u2019s Sindhi\/Baloch heritage and the Mahajir center\u2014similar to urban \u201cghettos\u201d in the West.
\nHe emphasized that understanding this diversity is crucial to resolving the region\u2019s current isolation. \u201cYou cannot untangle South Asia militarily or politically, but you can do it economically,\u201d he stated, pointing to the complementary nature of regional resources.
\nAddressing the rise of religious nationalism in India, he warned that such exclusionary ideologies threaten the regional balance, affecting populations in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. He noted that while India seeks regional dominance, it is losing out on the connectivity benefits that a collaborative Pakistan could offer to the rest of the world.
\nThe time has now come after May 9 to become aggressive in our stance instead of being reactive.
\nPakistan\u2019s Armed Forces have proven that size has very little relevance to power, May 9 proved that the \u201cpoliceman of the region\u201d image built up by India in the Indian Ocean area was shown to be \u201chot air\u201d. Moreover, it must change Pakistan\u2019s tack of being reactive to Indian machinations. As Sam Dalrymple described in his book \u201cShattered Lands\u201d, India is a born out of subterfuge and powerplay.
\nIt is time to set free the people that India has enslaved because of its machinations and vicious caste system starting with the North East. It is indeed a wonder how many muslim nations tolerate the brutality of the Indian govt towards its motives, mainly muslims.
\nDescribing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Ikram Sehgal said it is a vital outlet for China but emphasized the need for United States engagement in Pakistan to provide a strategic balance and reduce over-reliance on a single superpower. Today the youngest US aircraft carrier of its fleet of 11 in the 12 year old \u201cGerald S. Ford\u201d.
\nThe oldest Chinese aircraft carrier out of present fleet of 4 is 4 years old, while more than half a dozen will be active by in the next 3-4 years, equalling the US in numbers but are exceeding in technology and armaments. The US would not like the Indian Ocean to become a Chinese Ocean.
\nDr Huma Baqai, acknowledged Ikram Sehgal\u2019s role as a bridge between Pakistan and Bangladesh. The discussion left the audience a mix of students, entrepreneurs and tech leaders with a clear message, South Asia\u2019s future lies in economic pragmatism over political dogma.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ikram Sehgal in conversation with Dr Huma Baqai, Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) Karachi In a deep-dive conversation with Dr. Huma Baqai, Rector of the Millennium Institute of Technology and Entrepreneurship (MiTE) about the rapid shift in the geopolitical landscape of the subcontinent. Ikram Sehgal, Co-Chairman Pathfinder Group, addressed a packed audience at the Karachi Literature […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":530094,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-530087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-national"],"yoast_head":"\n