In a recent report by the Asian Development Bank, the fact is acknowledged that just about two centuries ago economic activity and output was greater in Asia vis-à-vis rest of the world and that it is again gradually shifting to this part of the world. The report tags Pakistan after seven vibrant economies, all but one from the Far Eastern region, which are the driving force behind this surge. All parts of the world have experienced conflicts with their neighbours or other countries at one time or the other. But now that a very complex world of economics is entering in to the second decade of the twenty first century, the countries in the Sub-continent are behaving as if they are living somewhere in the middle ages. Take the recent incident of Pakistan’s first female foreign minister visiting India and the whole media, especially in the neighbouring country, simply blew itself over the wall. Attired in radiantly blue suit and dupatta, she alighted on the Delhi airport and the whole of the country was just taken aback as if people in Pakistan were living in the stone-age. From Hong Kong to Doha and to Paris and New York, branded or other accessories women carry are hardly ever noticed by anyone. All men who have their shirts or suits tailored or even laundered from the most expensive outlets in London or Paris are hardly ever mentioned except as in the list of best-attired gentlemen of the world. If she had landed in Delhi in her personal jet or cruised in to Mumbai on her yacht, one could have said the foreign minister from Pakistan was trying to make a personal statement.
Yingluck Shinawatra has just been elected prime minister of her country. Leading her Puea Thai party to victory at the end of elections, the prime minister, 44, was at the head of the fierce struggle of the Red Shirt movement to bring democracy to her country. With a very photogenic personality she is looking forward to bringing political stability in a vibrantly developing economy. In the wake of the recent turmoil in the US and in the euro zone, from which aftershocks are still reverberating world markets, banks in New York have reported investments flowing to Brazil, South Korea and Thailand. The economies in the SAARC region have a potential of expanding their inter-regional and intra-regional trade and development. But this can only be possible if they come to cooperate in more meaningful ways. Take the case of per capita GDP in Turkey which has increased manifold in recent years. This was the result of following the policy of appeasement with its neighbours. In the recent past there are many examples of economies developing fast when they ventured to make peace and abandoned the policy of hapless adventurism.
The countries in the sub-continent have mental barriers propped up and bolstered by prejudices that have no links to reality. Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and other regional countries have a shared history of over a thousand years. History has no meaning but what we can construe from the facts. It can be approached using Braudel’s tools of analysis based on trade, commerce and economic activities through the ages or the theory of rise and fall of civilisations propounded by Spengler and Toynbee. But living in the twenty first century, the sub-continent cannot stay oblivious to economic developments around the world. With a huge market of over one and half a billion people and a little maneuvering by its political managers to improve the marketplace for meeting the demands of a modern economy, the region can be host to greater trade and international investment. The region can attain much faster growth if all countries follow policies of appeasement. Nevertheless, welcome news from Delhi has just come in and the commerce minister in Islamabad has been invited by his counterpart for carrying the talks further. Let us hope this time it is for real. Our high commissioner there is requested to take the commerce minister, when he goes there for the talks, to go about visiting the Lutyens’ Delhi as a goodwill step. There are some very good coffee houses in Connaught Place.
The writer has served as consultant to the United Nations and other developing economies on issues of trade and development and can be reached at [email protected]
