Pak-US horizons
Pakistan and the United States are on a get-going graph of cordiality. The series of high-profile exchanges and interactions in the last several months have helped undo the irritants to a large extent. The recent telephonic conversation between US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Foreign Minister Bilawal Zardari took a leap forward as Washington assured its support for reforms in the economic recovery. This pledge was altogether important as the US officially had played a major role in ironing out differences with the IMF over the doling out of a new trance, which enabled the concerned parties to strike a deal of convenience in the form of a $3 billion Standby Agreement. Thus, the renewed understanding is a welcome step and will go a long way in pulling Pakistan out of the abyss of economic decline, and help promote foreign direct investment and mega-business interactions.
In the post-withdrawal phase from Southwest Asia, the United States and Pakistan have smartly resurrected their new positions. Their commitment to ensure peace in Afghanistan and to collaborate on anti-terrorism efforts is a good omen. This is also directly related to geo-economics of the region, as a permanent peace regime is a must in the war-torn country, and both Washington and Islamabad have their stakes in realising it in toto. Moreover, Blinken and Bilawal being on the same page in assuring support for a ‘productive, democratic, and prosperous partnership’ has simply graduated to the level of bilateral understanding, and opens new vistas of broadened cooperation.
The utterance from Blinken that Pakistan’s economic development is one of United States’ top priorities is literally encouraging. Both the countries should widen the level of cooperation by boosting trust, and invest in human capital. There is no dearth of talent and enterprise in Pakistan, and this is where US businesses can tap them for profitable ventures. It’s time to stop looking from the prism of the security nexus, and harness people to people cooperation in the small scale start-ups, as well as in academic and research horizons. Both stand to gain in the long run.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 26th, 2023.
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