Regional trade is a priority all over the world whether it is the European Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or Commonwealth of Independent States, but unfortunately it is not priority in the SAARC region. India is also the ASEAN member but responsible for rendering the South Asian forum ineffective due to its rigid economic and political policies. The country is not actively participating in this body and is also in no mood to leave it. Once India leaves the forum, China will enter and New Delhi will lost all its leverage in South Asia. The diplomatic relations between Pakistan and India survived difficult times and kept the diplomatic relations intact, but recent visit of Indian home minister has revealed inner flaws in the Indian foreign policy. His visit to Islamabad proved an utter failure and he tried his best to spoil an opportunity to normalize relations between the two countries. He failed to understand that he is in Pakistan as a guest and showed his incapacity to keep minimum norms of decency.
India is trying to expand its trade with Bangladesh and with central Asian states through Iran and Afghanistan, but it is unwilling to shake hands with its immediate neighbor Pakistan to get road access to Afghanistan and beyond. Once India comes to resolve the Kashmir issue and shuns hostile attitude toward Pakistan, it will be beneficial for the peoples on both sides of the border. However, Pakistan has its own flaws in its economic policies. At a time business and trade is expanding all over the world, Pakistan’s exports are declining on every level. The question is why the policymakers in Pakistan are blind to the real situation facing the economy when causes and reasons of the declining exports are evident as daylight. If India is a problem, we also have to revisit our policy of foreign relations through economic perspectives. We should also know why India wins the favour of every government in Kabul and we despite rendering every sacrifice for Afghanistan are blamed for every wrongdoing in that country.
Afghanistan heavily depends on Pakistan for business and trade it should have to bring basic changes in its regional diplomacy. India is hostile country, but political relations should not affect business and trade relations. We cannot afford to live within two hostile countries on both sides of our borders. If Afghanistan needs Pakistan, India also needs Pakistan’s favour to expand its trade up to Russia through land routes. The government in Kabul should also not be swayed by Indian propaganda against Pakistan and it should keep a balanced approach toward Pakistan. South Asia is one of the poorest regions in the world and regional trade can remove and resolve most of the economic woes of the SAARC member states.
