Pakistan Is Booming Since 9/11

Somini Sengupta in the New York Times:

The country’s economy grew 6.4 percent during the last fiscal year, and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, a former Citibank executive, projects 8 percent annual growth in two years’ time.

“Pakistan is a country today that has gone through a very intensive five-year reform,” Mr. Aziz said in an interview in the capital, Islamabad. “We are seeing the results.”

There are many factors behind the boom…

As an important ally of the United States, Pakistan has been able to slash its external debts. In the last five years, export earnings have doubled to more than $13 billion, mostly from textiles, according to the State Bank of Pakistan. “There’s a lot of confidence in Pakistan’s economy,” said Ishrat Husain, the state bank chief.

More here.