The Embassy of Pakistan in Washington DC deserves praise for hosting an excellent economic dialogue on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings, bringing together Pakistan’s economic leadership, global financial institutions, and corporate representatives from the United States.
According to media reports, the event showcased Pakistan’s remarkable economic turnaround and its potential as a global investment destination. Having said that, I would like to mention a key fact that is directly related to India’s present belligerence towards Pakistan. This is Pakistan’s economic stability, however modest, that has spooked New Delhi in a big way.
The current coalition government that has come power as a result of the 2024 general election in fact indicates BJP of Narendra Modi’s clear defeat because the election results showed a marked decline in BJP’s fortunes. That India is upping the ante against Pakistan ever since the unfortunate and condemnable incident of killing of tourists took place in Pehalgam in the Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&JK) in order to deflect Indian people’s attention from their growing economic and social woes is a fact.
In other words, the BJP government’s act of blaming Pakistan for the attack without producing any incriminating evidence is clearly aimed at redirecting people’s attention from its domestic challenges to avoid something uncomfortable or inconvenient.
Secondly, the BJP government is seeking to step up pressure on Pakistan in order to weaken it economically. But I would appeal to the Pakistani government and the nation that while fully protecting and preserving country’s territorial integrity in the face of India’s aggression every step must be taken to ensure that the economic gains made so far are not allowed to be squandered away.
Saleem Reza (Karachi)
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025