Written by Shubhangi Gupta | Edited by Chandrashekar Srinivasan, New Delhi
Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday said he anticipated a day when his country could engage India not just for diplomatic reasons but also economic. Zardari was quoted by news agency PTI as acknowledging Pak’s relations with India have not been ‘moving forward’.
“Aaj nahin to kal, that day will have to come. That day we will unlock our full economic potential, and all will share the fruit of prosperity,” Zardari said while talking about various steps required to unlock Pakistan’s economic and trade opportunities, including with its various neighbours.
“Our relations with India have obviously been not moving forward, but one day we will get to the position where international institutions will come to ensure the international order. Definitely, there will be a day when we will be able to engage with our neighbour to the east, not just diplomatically but also economically,” he said at Davos in Switzerland, during an event held on the side-lines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2022.
Zardari added that Pakistan is dealing with severe economic consequences of various conflicts and asked, “Should we continue fighting the same old fights again and again or should we aspire to be known as a country of modern Muslims and have a prosperous future?”
The minister said the best way forward on domestic and international levels is to leave aside political bickering and explore and unlock his country’s huge untapped potential.
“We can demonstrate domestically and internationally that Pakistan is a functioning state… willing to help itself and then the international community will also understand our potential and help us grow further,” he said.
(With agency inputs)
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