Important observations
Popular political and media attention continues to revolve around the crisis in Yemen, which is why Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena’s first visit to Islamabad has been something of a low profile event. Yet it is already standing out for a number of important reasons. First, of course, is the continuity of the goodwill under the new dispensation. Sirisena’s predecessor was always in Pakistan’s good books, and Pakistani officials, political and military, were warmly welcomed in Sri Lanka during his tenure. The cooperation grew to such an extent that Pakistan, apparently, played an important role in helping Colombo overcome its own dangerous insurgency.
The talking points with the new president, however, have been more business/economy oriented, and rightly so. Nawaz was on the mark when he reminded his guest how Sri Lanka was the first country with which Pakistan signed a free trade agreement (FTA) in ’02, yet present trade volume – at $438 million – is disappointing, to say the least. There must now be visible efforts to back the rhetoric that has set a $1 billion benchmark for the ‘near future’. Therefore the seven odd MoUs signed so far, particularly the one regarding cooperation on nuclear energy, mark a step in the right direction.
Sri Lanka is the perfect test case because it also represents the link within Saarc. Modern states are always on the hunt for increased trade, especially within the region, followed by elsewhere. Trade in the neighbourhood also makes way for improved social overhead capital and infrastructure, which creates second round employment and the economic multiplier, benefitting all parties concerned. The trade-enhancement model, currently being considered for Sri Lanka, must be employed across the region. Once the neighbouring countries benefit from subsequent economic windfall, they will be all the more eager to overcome lingering political disputes that prevent a more robust regional future. Islamabad and Colombo must, therefore, make good on the promises being made these days between Sharif and Sirisena.
