LONDON: Provided peace is maintained between them, Pakistan may well in the course of two or three decades overtake India in spheres of industry and commerce, opines the journal `World Today`, the organ of the Royal Institute of International Affairs in a lengthy article on their political and economic prospects. Declaring it is difficult to see any justification of the conclusion that Pakistan will be unable to maintain itself, the journal points out that Pakistan is self-sufficient in food and has an exportable grain surplus, a considerable share in raw jute and cotton production and a smaller share in tea industry. A reasonable guess would place the value of Pakistan`s exports in the neighbourhood of £100,000,000 while the imports have been estimated about £60,000,000. A favourable balance of £40,000,000 should be sufficient to provide a reasonable development rate.

India is a deficit country in foodstuffs and one of the best considered estimates ... fixes the probable imports at about £200,000,000 while the exports, perhaps, are not likely to exceed about £70,000,000. Declaring `we should be wise to assume that partition has come to stay ` the journal says there seems no reason ... for regarding partition as a passing phase. News agencies