Brinkmanship on LoC

As pointed out by Dr Salman Shah in one of his op-eds, “Pakistan is the sixth largest country in the world having a population of 200 million with 60 percent under the age of 25. In the comity of nations, our per capital income ranks around 150. In the Human Development Index our rank is 147. If we were a fully developed country our ranks would have been in the top ten. Clearly in the race of nations we have a long way to go. In a highly competitive global marketplace only nations with the fittest governance systems emerge as the winners.”

His was a highly objective assessment of country’s situation.

Pakistan’s neighbour and its rival, India, too does not do better in the areas mentioned by the writer in his column. Both the countries have a long way to go.

The brinkmanship on the Line of Control (LoC) and rising tension do not certainly contribute to these nations’ efforts towards eliminating poverty, ensuring for their respective people healthcare, education and prosperity.

Karachi Khadim Husain