WASHINGTON DC: This is with reference to a report of September 20 in your newspaper titled “Dialogue with the US: Trade negotiations likely to be all talk”. The report suggested that despite many recommendations over the years advocating expansion of trade between Pakistan and the United States, Washington seems uninterested in taking such action. It further noted that Reconstruction Opportunities Zones (ROZ) legislation — which would grant duty-free status to certain goods produced in areas of Pakistan most impacted by terrorism — has been languishing in the US Congress.
Your readers should know that while this is true, many in the US Congress support ROZ legislation as a way of promoting economic development and long-term stability in Pakistan. The Council on Pakistan Relations worked very hard in 2010 and early this year to have the ROZ bill re-introduced in the US Senate, as a first step toward Congressional consideration. In fact, certain senators were on verge of introducing the bill in the spring; support was lined up in the House of Representatives as well.
Then came May 2 and the Osama bin Laden affair. US-Pakistan relations fell off a cliff. The political environment in Washington made it impossible for politicians to show public support for the legislation, which was quietly relegated to the back burner.
We remain hopeful that the political climate eventually will improve so that the legislation can resurface in the Congress. Indeed, even as the headlines on US-Pakistan relations seem to worsen by the day, many clear-eyed policy makers in Washington favor continued engagement along with efforts to improve economic development in Pakistan.
ROZ legislation remains a high priority for the Council. But for the time being, it’s almost impossible to help Pakistan on this issue. There are just too many political challenges.
Mahera Rahman
Executive Director, Council on Pakistan Relations
Published in The Express Tribune, September 30th, 2011.
