According to a study carried out by FM Global, Pakistan is in the group of countries which are unfavorable for doing any kind of business due to terrorism, political instability and natural disasters. FM Global, a mutual insurance company based in Johnston, Rhode Island with its offices all over the world, is specialized in loss prevention services primarily to large corporations in the Highly Protected Risk property insurance market sector. Some other members of the group are Nepal, Ethiopia, Chad, Haiti and Venezuela. Regardless to the shabby credentials of the organizations, the repercussions of such studies and reports could hinder the flow of foreign investments into the countries in question. The current head of the FM Global is an Indian and its report cannot be relied upon keeping in view the tense relations between the Pakistan and India. There could be Indian government behind the reports to include the name of Pakistan in the list of the risky countries. In the current situation, Pakistan is attracting a huge investment packages not only from China but also from several other countries of the world. The report points out the reach of Indian hands to spoil business environment in the country as it places Pakistan on the third place in the group of countries with worst business reputation.
The property insurance group allegedly bases its findings on the data it gets from the World Economic Forum, World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.However, in the list of favourbale countries, it appreciates business environment in Luxembourg, Sweden, Austria, Germany and Belgium.The study gives third, fourth and fifth position to Sweden, Austria, Germany and Belgium, respectively, but ranks the UK at 16th, lagging behind countries such as Qatar, the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark and Norway. Because of their vast geographical area, the study divides China and the US into small regions and varying levels of their exposures to natural calamities. In the direct ranking, Pakistan is placed at 125th, and the Caribbean Island of Haiti, which faced the worst Hurricane last year, has been ranked at 130.
The list apparently missed the presence of the riskiest country in the world, India, which claims to be the champion of economy in the region. There is no dearth of Pakistani scholars and think-tanks to research economic conditions of various countries and issue their own rankings based on facts and figures.
