PAKISTAN PERSPECTIVE

Islamabad covers the measure with particular attention to regional comparison. Geo News publishes the main analysis: 'The US has proposed tariffs on 60 economies, including Pakistan, over forced labour concerns'. The article documents the procedure and specifies that the six economies — Canada, Ecuador, the EU, Indonesia, Mexico and Pakistan — are deemed not to have effectively enforced the prohibitions, attracting the lower 10% rate rather than 12.5%. The Express Tribune deepens with a comparative analysis: 'US proposes tariffs of 10% or 12.5% on goods from 60 economies, including Pakistan, over forced labor failures'. The paper documents the precise list: 10% on Canada, Ecuador, the EU, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Britain. This list is revealing: Pakistan is grouped with developing economies and Britain, at a lower level than India and China. Pakistan pays 10%, India pays 12.5% — an asymmetry that could theoretically benefit Islamabad on certain US markets. The Express Tribune also publishes an analysis of the attack on India: 'US targets India with forced labour tariff amid talks on trade pact'. The Pakistani angle is paradoxical: Islamabad absorbs 10% but observes with analytical satisfaction the Indian difficulties — regional rivalry never disappears from the reading grids. The Pakistani perspective is that of a South Asian trade partner that measures its relative position in the new American framework.