It is time to recalibrate our policy: Pak media praises India's growing global footprint under PM Modi

Shahzad Chaudhry advised Pakistan to "recalibrate its policy on India" by "breaking away from convention" to "turn geo-economics into a strategy" or else Pakistan "may be reduced to the footnote of history."

Islamabad, Jan 15: Startled over India's growing footprints across the globe, the Pakistani daily, The Express Tribune, for the first time ever lauded India, saying New Delhi's stature has grown internationally and the country is now a preferred destination for investors across the world.

In an opinion piece in The Express Tribune, Shahzad Chaudhry, a political, security and defence analyst, wrote "India, is now relevant to the world, not only in its size and girth but by its footprint across the world."

"If I were Henry Kissinger, I would write a treatise 'On India'. Such has been the monumental change in India's fortunes as a State and a player principally in Asia and broadly on the global stage," Chaudhry wrote.

While heaping praise on India, Chaudhry wrote "Its growth rate in GDP matches the best-performing economies over the last three decades after China."

"India jumped to 100 billion USD reserves in 2004 from the measly 9.2 she had in 1992. Under Manmohan Singh, India increased its reserves to 252 billion USD in 2014. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi these have galloped to over 600 billion and the GDP is sized over three trillion USD. This is monumental progress which makes India a preferred destination for all investors," added Chaudhry.

Meanwhile, foreign investors avoid bringing money into Pakistan due to various factors such as political instability, discontinuity of macroeconomic policy, terrorism, corruption and energy shortages.

"India stands amongst the top producers in agri-products and in the IT industry. Their yields per acre in agriculture match the best in the world. And despite being a country of over 1.4 billion people, it remains a relatively steady, coherent and functional polity. Their system of governance has withstood the test of time and proved its resilience around fundamentals essential to a resolute democracy," he wrote.

He said that Pakistan was outplayed by India on Kashmir by rescinding Article 370 of its Constitution which gave a special if not disputed status to the region.

Incidentally, India's global footprint is remarkable. It is invited to the G7 and is a member of the G20. It is leading a movement of the global South to represent what is critical to equitable progress in times of climate change, pandemics, and technology intrusion. It has a blueprint for establishing its own domain on the foreign policy front and sticks to it assiduously.

"Russia is under American sanctions, and none can trade freely with Russia except India which buys Russian oil on preferred terms and then re-exports it to help an old patron earn dollars the indirect way. Two opposing military superpowers of the world claim India to be its ally. If this isn't a diplomatic coup, what is?" Chaudhary was quoted in a report.

He further advised Pakistan to "recalibrate its policy on India" by "breaking away from convention" to "turn geo-economics into a strategy" or else Pakistan "may be reduced to the footnote of history."

The article comes at a time an immense power and economic crisis hit Pakistan, as the country is fast running out of essential items and is crippled with an inflation surge of 40 percent.

The prices of items such as wheat, cooking oil and poultry have spiraled and are now touching record high in the last few days.

The back-breaking inflation in Pakistan is playing havoc in the country with even basic food items becoming out of reach for the common masses.