Nearly 50% Pakistanis favour trade boost with India to normalise ties: Post-Sindoor survey

Nearly half of Pakistanis support boosting trade with India to normalise relations after the ceasefire, a survey, reported by The News, has found.

Tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours escalated earlier this month following a terror attack in India’s Jammu and Kashmir on April 22 in which 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists, were massacred.

India, in response, struck terror hideouts in Pakistan. When the Pakistan military tried to attack Indian airbases, the Indian forces launched precision strikes at several Pakistani airbases and dealt significant damage, leading Islamabad to plead for a ceasefire on May 10.

‘Trade key for defusing tensions’

The Gallup Pakistan survey showed that most of the Pakistanis believed trade could be used to defuse tensions between the two neighbours.

However, 35 per cent of Pakistanis are against this idea and believe that all unresolved issues, including Kashmir, should be addressed first.

The survey included several hundred participants from across the country and was conducted between May 12 and 18 this month.

When asked about steps to normalise relations with India, 48 per cent of Pakistanis favoured increasing cooperation in sports, while 35 per cent were against it.

Additionally, 44 per cent supported more cooperation in education, with 36 per cent rejecting this idea. 40 per cent voted for enhancing cultural relations, but 35 per cent opposed this proposal.

In response to the question, “If you were in 1947, would you have supported separation from India,” 86 per cent said they would have voted for separation, 3 per cent would have been against it, 7 per cent were unsure, and 4 per cent did not provide an opinion.

Pakistan’s ailing economy

Pakistan’s economy remains on edge and is surviving on bailout programmes backed by several international organisations.

Pakistan’s GDP growth for FY 2024-25 fell short of the government’s 3.6 per cent target, achieving only 2.68 per cent, as reported by ARY News citing sources from the National Accounts Committee.

The findings were revealed during a committee meeting chaired by the Planning Secretary, according to an ANI report via ARY News.

People in Pakistan view India as a great potential trading partner, the survey shows. However, New Delhi is unlikely to extend any favour to Islamabad owing to Islamabad’s continued support for terrorism and failure to act against militants operating on its soil.