Pakistani analysts call South China Sea verdict lopsided, unhelpful

Pakistani analysts believe that the verdict of the Permanent Court of Arbitration is unhelpful because it hands down a lopsided interpretation, without taking into account China's position and stance.

"It reads the situation partially, selectively and politically. I am afraid it will complicate the situation in the region and spur escalation. Diplomatic tools should be used to avert a conflict or unintended catastrophe," Director General of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad Masood Khan said on Wednesday.

Masood Khan told Xinhua that China has legitimate claims over its historical territory and it has a right to safeguard its national sovereignty.

"There are disputes in the region which can be resolved in the framework of the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties for the South China Sea, under which mechanisms are available for engagement and conflict resolution. Had there been no attempt to interfere, this mechanism would have worked. It should be restored," he further said.

Khan said the war of words should not transform into something more disastrous, adding Pakistan, as a friend of China, hopes no attempt would be made to hurt China's security interests.

"It is collective responsibility of all states to pave the way for peaceful settlement of disputes. For its part, China has assured the international community that it would continue to uphold the international rule of law," Khan, who has served as Pakistan ambassador to China said.

The comments came after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague delivered verdict against China.

The Chinese government has refused to recognize the award by an ad hoc arbitral tribunal on the South China Sea, insisting on settling the dispute through bilateral negotiations.

A senior defence analyst and commentator, Said Nazeer Muhmand, says that it was the United States that has pushed other countries to create this problem.

"On these islands, it was basically America which in fact provoked these countries to opt for arbitration on the South China Sea issue," Muhmand, who has served as Brigadier in the Pakistan army said.

He told Xinhua that American wants to follow the policy of confrontation with sovereign states like China.

"Such policy will not work. The best option for the countries is to find out solution to problems and disputes bilaterally and not through arbitration," he said.

On Tuesday, in response to a question regarding the South China Sea, the spokesperson of the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Pakistan maintains that disputes over the South China Sea should be peacefully resolved, through consultations and negotiations by states directly concerned, in accordance with bilateral agreements and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC). Endit