Give Peace A Chance – OpEd

The world is heading towards calamities at the same time countries have been constructing bridges to halt catastrophes. They have been investing in human capital, science, and technologies, and are busy in progressing in making social indicators better as per the sustainable development goals. While, at the same time, Pakistan and India are busy with mutual hatred and insane competition. Can tension be reduced and resentment be paused by giving peace a chance?

There is no impressive socioeconomic indicator in both countries which should be pride of. And it should be a matter of concern for the leadership of both states.

Pakistan is 5th most vulnerable country to Climate change while India was number 7 in 2021. Most polluted citizens of the world are located in Pakistan and India. Glaciers are melting and climate change is wreaking havoc with the agriculture industries of both countries.

Both states spend immensely on the military whereas Pakistan, defense budget was 12000 USD million in 2022 while India reserved 72.6 billion USD for it. In addition, the poverty rate in India in 2019 was 83.90 percent while in Pakistan it is around 37 percent.

Lo and behold, 65 born babies out of 1000 die in Pakistan while the infant mortality rate in India is 26.61 per 1000 live births. 1 doctor is available for 1194 people in India while 1 doctor was available for 877 people in Pakistan by end of 2021. Moreover, the unemployment rate in Pakistan was 6.2 percent by the end of 2021 while India’s unemployment rate was 7.7 percent at the end of the same year.

In the Global hunger index Pakistan,s rank was 99th out of 121 while India’s rank was 107th out of 121 in 2022. The acute malnutrition rate in Pakistan is 17.7 percent

While 35 percent of children in India are stunted. 22.8 million children are out of school in Pakistan and 1.2 million are out of school in India. India,s rank in the SDG,s is 121/163 while its spoil-over score is 99.3, meanwhile, Pakistan,s rank is 125/163 while its spoil-over score is 99.4. At the same time, on the HDI Pakistan,s rank was 161 out of 192 whereas India’s rank was 132 out of 192 in 2022. Millions are struggling for access to clean water in Pakistan and India.

Economists and political analysts agree that trade diminishes mistrust and helo in confidence-building between states. Once, trade relations are established which we have observed between Pakistan and India, the bilateral political and security disputes might solve.

Frederick Bastiat a French economist rightly opines that when goods do not cross the border, the soldier will.

We have been witnessing that India and China, China and Taiwan, and Singapore and Malaysia have millions of dollars in trade despite their other tensions. They have remained intact in trade relations.

Shahroo Malik in South Asian Voices in February 2020 writes by quoting a World Bank report that Pakistan and India have the potential of bilateral trade from 2 to 37 billion USD. Barriers such as strict visas, tariffs barriers, waiting of trucks on the border, lack of farsightedness, and political differences do not allow trade to flourish.

Pakistan can take expertise from India in Jewelry and gemstone, can import coffee, tea, and Iron ore, and can help in the exploration of Oil and Gas. Moreover, India is a good market for Pakistan in importing dyes for textile industries, pharmaceuticals, and automobile parts. At the same the time, Pakistan is a good market for surgical types of equipment, Coal, and Cement for India

Both countries can work together in the agriculture sector by introducing new seeds, fertilizers, and soil fertility. A win_ win situation for millions of people in both states.

Pakistan and India share language, similarities in culture, and history, and their neighborhoods. The sorrows and pain are the same and the socioeconomic indicators of both countries are alike. There is a dire need of focusing on the geoeconomic approach. We have seen wars, hatred, stubbornness, mistrust, blaming and shaming, irrelevant priorities, huge spending on defense, and wasting money. Let,s give peace a chance and witness its fruit.