New Delhi, Sept. 2 -- When India and Pakistan emerged as sovereign states in 1947, both inherited the exact same imperial state machinery, legal codes, and administrative infrastructure. Pakistan took custody of rich agricultural river basins, an efficient bureaucracy, and a viable commercial base, while India absorbed vast territory, immense demographic diversity, and complex social divisions. In the immediate post-independence era, Pakistan's economic outlook was equally promising-and by several metrics, outperforming-India's.

Fast forward nearly eight decades, and that comparative reality has completely inverted. According to IMF metrics from early 2026, India stands as a rising global economic powerhouse with a nominal GDP approachin...