In a welcoming and significant development, an agreement to declare Punjab and California ‘sister provinces’ was signed at the State Capitol building in Sacramento, California, to bolster a mutually beneficial relationship.
This would promote mutual trade and commerce and increase potential for educational, environmental, and cultural relations between the province of Punjab and the state of California.
Pakistani Ambassador at the US Masood Khan later said in another event that it would also provide an opportunity to exploit the untapped economic potential and promote people-to-people contacts.
This really indicates that bilateral relationship between Pakistan and the United States are on right trajectory and credit for this goes to Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto’s policy of engagement with key partners and allies.
The sister province agreement can truly be dubbed as a major milestone in bilateral relationship which will also set the tone for building a more robust partnership in future.
We understand this will bring the two peoples more close to each other. Congresswoman Judy Chu at the signing ceremony rightly highlighted similarities between California and Punjab including strong agricultural bases and vibrant populations of two sides.
The State of California undoubtedly and amazingly continues to outperform other nations and countries in GDP growth because of which it is now being ranked amongst top four economies of the world.
There is no doubt that California’s entrepreneurial spirit has powered this ascent. According to Bloomberg’s data, the US state outperforms rest of the world across many industries.
Punjab on the other hand is the most developed part of Pakistan and has a vibrant middle class.
Hence it is an excellent opportunity for Punjab to learn from experiences of the US state and change its economic landscape by promoting cooperation in critical areas of agriculture, industries and Information Technology.
The agreement must not remain on paper only but should practically be demonstrated on the ground by forging win-win partnerships in different fields.
Its success will encourage other regions of both the countries to follow the suit.
