A leading publication in Pakistan, the Express Tribune has expressed astonishment towards India’s growing relevance in the world through an opinion piece. The editorial published in the daily publication praised India for its accomplishments. At the same time, the writer urged Pakistan to rethink their policies concerning their neighbouring country.
In line with the idea, the writer of the opinion piece Shahzad Chaudhry believes that two major countries, India and Asia, will be instrumental towards defining Asia in the 21st century.
Pakistan’s celebrated political, security and defence analyst draws sharp comparisons between the economies of Pakistan and India in his opinion piece. While the writing praised India for its tremendous growth and congratulated the nation for becoming the fifth-largest economy in the world, Chaudhry notes that Pakistan is surviving on grants from the global community.
Shahzad credited the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for branding India, remarking that under his administration, India overtook the UK to become the fifth largest country in the world. At the same time, he said that this was an accomplishment none of his predecessors could achieve. He also noted that India’s prevalence in the world is apparent from the fact that India is invited among the G-7 nations and is a designated member of the G-20 countries.
Shahzad Chaudhry believes that India does what they feel is right for them and its people. He praises India’s diplomatic abilities, noting that the USA and Russia, two of the world’s most powerful nations, at opposing ends with one another, find a common ally in India.
Comparing the economical aspects of India and Pakistan, the political analyst remarks that while India has the fourth-largest Foreign Exchange Reserves in the world, standing strong at USD 600 Billion, Pakistan holds a much smaller amount, USD 4.5 Billion.
He allowed that Pakistan has been dealing with a serious economic crisis since 1971. The political economy of Pakistan is in shambles due to the government’s shortcomings, and the country’s international reputation needs to be improved.
Comparatively, Shahzad states that India’s GDP Growth rate is at par with the world’s best-performing economies after china. According to experts, India will stay on the path. Investors and countries across the globe remain reluctant to invest in Pakistan for many reasons, including instability, lack of investor-friendly policies, corruption and terrorism. Meanwhile, they get a stable ground for safe investments from the global community.
A Pakistani newspaper Islam Khabar report reveals that Pakistan has attempted to introduce several FDI-friendly policies. These policies could also be beneficial towards the recovery of Pakistan’s economy from the crisis they are facing. However, due to issues like red-tapism, bureaucratic lethargy, corruption and ideological differences, they could not implement the policies satisfactorily.
On the contrary, Shahzad Chaudhry cites some accomplishments of the Indian economy. He noted they have the credit of being one of the top producers in agri-products and the IT industry. Their yields per acre in agriculture are at par with the best in the world.
He further remarks that even though the country has a population of 1.4 billion, it has a relatively steady, coherent and functional polity. Per the political analyst, India’s system of governance has withstood the test of time. It has proved its resilience around the fundamentals critical to a committed democracy. With these observations, the writer implies that Pakistan is no longer safe for global investors’ markets.
To prove his point, the writer talks about “Pakistan’s Fraternal Brother: Saudi Arabia”, which recently announced an investment of 72 Billion in India. Meanwhile, Pakistan is waiting for Saudi Arabia to invest the 7 billion they promised Pakistan.
The editorial noted that India outsmarted Pakistan politically in Kashmir by removing article 370, which provided the region with a special, if not disputed, status.
Talking about the nation’s global footprint, Chaudhry notes that India is also leading the Global South initiative. The initiative explores critical areas for equitable growth in today’s world.
The world faces several issues, like climate change, pandemics and technological intrusion. Shahzad Chaudhry believes India has a blueprint for establishing her foreign policy domain and sticking to it assiduously.
The comparisons drawn in the editorial end with the writer concluding that Pakistan must rethink its policies towards India. Otherwise, he warns that Pakistan may remain a footnote in the history of the world.
