According to prestigious US magazine Forbes, Pakistan has the potential to become global leader and has urged the US businessmen and policymakers to look at Pakistan beyond the binoculars of a partner in the war on terror. The magazine says that the Pakistan-US relationship requires deeper thinking and action on issues around trade, investment, education and broader economic development. It says that given its 70 years of relationship, the United States should consider Pakistan as a preferred partner and not a problem. The magazine says that the US policy needs several changes to act on this opportunity. Pakistan of today is similar to that of Colombia in the late 1990s. The words like drugs, gangs, and failed state were freely associated with the Andean country, but Colombia has now a free trade agreement with the United States, a stable 3.5 percent annual GDP growth and its security has been improved.
It says that the Western media is already highlighting Pakistan from the angle of security, increased political stability and incremental progress on the economic front as action against Taliban has improved security dynamic after terrorists attack on a school in Peshawar that killed 145 people, including 132 schoolchildren. It says that the international perception about the country has to be changed as the Pakistani government, military and its citizens are on the same page against violent Taliban and terrorists. The country is still facing challenges from fringe groups, but policymakers and investors need to understand that the real situation on the ground has been changed and Taliban are not at Islamabad’s doorstep. It says that a politically stable prime minister is governing the country with a competent cabinet, a majority coalition and is working in tandem with the military to maintain peace and security in the country. Pakistan has recently signed agreements worth $46 billion with the Chinese government to build Pak, China Economic Corridor. The project aims to connect Chinese city of Kashgar with Pakistan’s Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea. The United States should reassess its calculus about Pakistan.
The magazine highlights opportunities of trade and investment in Pakistan, but what all glitters is not gold. The country still needs investment and transfer of technology and this could be only possible when the US companies revise their policies regarding Pakistan. If the Unites States wants to keep Pakistan as a defence partner, it should also accept Pakistan as a trade partner.