India-Pakistan: Economic cooperation a step forward to peace

During the last 63 years of partition from Akhand Bharat as RSS termed it, there are constant exchanges of love and hate from the both sides. Politician’s behavior at world stage depends on its domestic mood of the people. With the pure honesty, our leader Jinnah and India’s Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi sacrificed their respective lives for the country. Apart from them, no one is credible whom people of the both sides can trust completely. Due to the vested interest of the politicians which did not allow the people to trust each other which constantly see each other as enemy. Although, despite the no mutual consent on the common interest of the both sides, economic change after the liberalization have been forcing both the countries to seek for the common ground for the development of the entire South Asian region.

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The relation between India and Pakistan is like divorce marriage. As in the marriage elements of cooperation and confrontation always hangs around. After the divorce none of the party is capable to forget the love and emotions for the each other. Despites, the wars and conflicts, both countries still share the common ground like cultural, trade, civilization roots, climate change, terrorism, and so on. Politicians of the both sides since the birth of Pakistan; deliberately failed to concentrate on the issues of mutual consent due to narrow mindset and political mileage to remain in power. What about the region and people? People of the both sides still find difficult to satisfy basic needs.

A water crisis actually provides an opportunity for the India-Pakistan to improve the relation which is critically damaged after the Mumbai attack; which is the aim of the terrorism. We have to keep in mind, there is no other way, Government of India and Pakistan can at least minimize an intensity of conflict if not able to resolve it completely because of the complexity of the issues and divergent interest of the players in the diplomatic game.

Terrorism, security, border disputes, nuclear deterrence, and water are the main issues which concern the both countries. Love of peace, idealism and utopia are not only factors. Economic interest also has a rational and legitimate role to play. The logic of liberalization and the ridiculous weakness of bilateral trade which is restricted by the two countries encourage the smuggling of the basic goods and items along the border. Some business lobbies in Pakistan wants better economic relation with India, while others fears Indian competition. At the same time political, military and extremists denounce those who give economic cooperation priority over Kashmir issue. Indian business lobby like FICCI and CII constantly changing their economic behavior based on the US and UK market rather than regional potential which could endorse these countries to mediate between two countries.

We actually certainly made some concessions under the banner of the South Asia Preferential Trade Association, the commercial branch of SAARC, but the proposed objective of a free exchange zone (SAFTA), but Pakistanis seems to be highly adamant to relax the norms of the trade due to the fear factor of competition against Indians. As a member of the WTO, Pakistan should give India “most favored nation” status. Indian and Pakistani policy makers should endorse the “GUJRAL DOCTRINE” which advocates advantages relations with its neighbors.

Governments in India and Pakistan have a historic opportunity to put forth a comprehensive strategy for the bilateral engagement that allows us to bury ours historical past for the fresh beginning. Trade will of course not able to solve all the problems between the Indian and Pakistan, but it could be an important catalyst in the lowering tension which is heightens after the Mumbai attack. And lowering tension between India and Pakistan beneficial to strengthen not only economic ties but could be beginning to work on political relations as well. It is clearly in the national interest of the both the countries to find a political solution to India-Pakistan relations and increased trade can well be starting point for the development and peace of the South Asian region which should be an objective of trade.