(Publish from Houston Texas USA)
(By: Mian Iftikhar Ahmad)
Economic relations between Pakistan and the United States have always been a fundamental pillar of Pakistan’s foreign policy. Today, as the world rapidly moves toward a new geo-economic landscape, the most realistic and promising path for Pakistan’s economic revival lies in American investment, technological cooperation, and strengthened trade ties, because the United States remains Pakistan’s largest export market, the biggest provider of development aid, and a hub of advanced business models from which Pakistan can gain in industry, textile competitiveness, IT exports, agricultural production, and energy sectors. American companies have been investing in Pakistan for decades, including major global corporations such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Procter & Gamble, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Citibank, Cargill, Microsoft, Google, and Meta, which have not only created jobs in Pakistan but also modernized supply chains and industrial infrastructure. In the textile sector,
American buyers are Pakistan’s largest audience, with almost sixty percent of home textile exports going to the U.S., making the future of Pakistan’s textile policy directly dependent on American markets; by improving yarn value addition, design capabilities, green certification, and eco-friendly production, Pakistan can open new windows of multi-billion-dollar orders from U.S. buyers. The IT industry represents Pakistan’s biggest untapped opportunity, as a large portion of freelance income comes from American clients and U.S. software buyers consider Pakistani talent among the most skilled and cost-effective in the world; programs by Google, Meta, and Microsoft in Pakistan for digital skills, data security training, cloud technology, and freelancer certification can increase IT exports from three billion dollars to ten billion dollars.
Agriculture also presents a major opportunity for Pakistan because American companies like Cargill are working on modern seed development, food processing, cold chains, and value-added exports; if Pakistan strengthens agricultural research, biotechnology, and food safety certification, it can significantly increase U.S. imports of rice, mangoes, value-added food products, pharma-grade salt, seafood, and food-tech items. In the energy sector, U.S. cooperations have been crucial for Pakistan, with assistance in power generation, distribution, hydro projects, grid improvement, and renewable energy guidance, while American companies have invested in LNG, oil refining, and power technologies, stabilizing production sectors and reducing energy costs.
Regarding the future of Pakistan-U.S. trade, the United States remains Pakistan’s largest export partner, and further growth is possible if Pakistan focuses on reinstating GSP preferences, promoting modern value-added textiles, IT services, agricultural and food-processing products, pharmaceuticals, sports goods, and engineering goods, as the U.S. market continues to open new opportunities in green technology, chemical research, medical devices, biotech, software security, and e-commerce, sectors in which Pakistan can claim a significant share. The reinstatement of the GSP program could be decisive for Pakistan, potentially increasing exports by one to one and a half billion dollars annually, especially benefiting textiles, leather, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural products.
IT exports with American collaboration are particularly advantageous because Pakistan hosts the world’s fourth-largest freelance community. If Pakistan integrates PayPal, Stripe, and other international payment gateways, remittances from the U.S. could double, pushing IT exports beyond ten billion dollars within a few years. Agricultural products also hold immense potential, as the U.S. food market continues to expand, and if Pakistan aligns mangoes, rice, red chili, salt, seafood, value-added snacks, and food-tech products with global certifications, exports can grow substantially.
Overall, the future trade prospects between Pakistan and the United States are extremely promising, provided Pakistan stabilizes internal policies, reduces energy costs, invests in research and development, emphasizes value-added exports, and prioritizes the digital economy, because the global economic focus has shifted toward technology, food security, and green energy, and in all three sectors, the United States can be Pakistan’s most significant partner, creating the foundation for economic recovery, export growth, and stronger global credibility.
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