This letter refers to the news report ‘India, European free trade block sign $100bn agreement’ (March 11, 2024). India is now at the centre stage of the global community for economic reasons. It is aggressively courting the North American and European countries for trade and investment deals on an unprecedented scale. Now the most populous nation in the world, India owes its economic success to pragmatic and scrupulous statesmanship as opposed to the poor, unpopular leadership in Pakistan which tends to prioritize personal interests over the national interest.
India’s population is around six times that of Pakistan but its economy is now almost 11 times the size of ours. India’s reserves are over $600 billion while ours are around $13 billion, hence our perpetual dependence on the IMF. Pakistan has lost the race not only with India but many other countries that won independence later than us. India’s success story is a case study for developing countries to emulate when it comes to its economic policies and business environment.
Shaista Anwar Kirmani
Karachi