Ignore the anti-India fringe
Pressing social and economic realities have forced the people on both sides of the Wagah border to realise that mutual hostility is not in their interests. The dyed-in-the-wool anti-India fringe stands as isolated in Pakistan as its counterparts in India. While it is understood that outstanding disputes that include Kashmir have to be resolved, the improvement in relations and the befits it would bring to the people on both sides would in itself constitute an incentive to settle the differences. Despite being at daggers drawn with one another the PPP, PML(N),PTI and JUI(F) are all unanimous on improvement of ties with India.
Pakistan has fought three wars with India without succeeding to solve any outstanding issue. The wars in fact badly impacted the economic progress of the two countries, much more so in the case of Pakistan. European countries had fought devastating wars against one another but learnt the lesson much earlier and decided to live peacefully. They are reaping the benefits. Never in its past history were the people of the continent so well to do, so culturally advanced and with so high standards of living. Wars have stood in the way of South Asia to achieve its immense potential for development. While the two countries have enough nuclear weapons to destroy each other many times over, they have yet to tackle poverty and social backwardness.
Opening up the trade barriers and reducing travel restrictions to the minimum should be the first steps towards the improvement of relations. It is a good step on the part of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan and the private sector businessmen to display Pakistani goods at an exhibition in India. Pakistan has enough to export that includes cement, textiles, garments and home furnishings. It can import the much needed power and a variety of manufactured goods from India. The fears of India dumping goods in Pakistani markets are unrealistic. The par value of the Indian currency is likely to act as a powerful non tariff barrier. What is more Article XIX of GATT provides that when, as a result of tariff reductions, a country finds that a product is being imported to cause serious injury to domestic producers, it can impose safeguard measures to restrict such imports for temporary periods.
