South Asia needs stability to ensure flow of investment: Mittal

Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Mittal, who is heading a CII delegation in New York, said the region needs stability to ensure continuous flow of investment and growth in trade.

Asking Pakistani leadership to accept the new realities and eschew its anti-Indian rhetoric, Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Mittal, who is heading a CII delegation in New York, on Wednesday said the region needs stability to ensure continuous flow of investment and growth in trade.

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Participating in a panel discussion at the prestigious Asia Society today, Mittal asked the United States to consider India as one of its “strongest” allies as it would take care of several problems facing the region.

He said India with its strong relationship with the Middle East, could help in calming the waters there too.

Pakistan, he told the select group of entrepreneurs, is no match to India in terms economy and trade. However, it would be a big problem for India if Pakistan is torn apart.

“The situation in Pakistan is getting hugely alarming for us,” Mittal said, pointing out that recent utterance of ex-President Pervez Musharraf during his recent visit to India gave no hope as it indicated that Islamabad is still “trapped in the mindset that India is bad and is not good for Pakistan.” Musharraf’s speeches also showed that they are not willing to awaken to the new realities.

“But we want a stable Pakistan. We want a stable Afghanistan. The obsession that Pakistan has of India needs to be toned down and there only America can help because Pakistan still thankfully listens to the United States,” he said.