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The United States extended Independence Day greetings to Pakistan on Thursday, and “appreciated” Islamabad’s engagement in counterterrorism and trade. This comes just months after a terrorist attack killed 26 people in J&K’s Pahalgam, which India claimed to be Pakistan-sponsored terror.The US also stated that it is looking forward to exploring new areas of economic cooperation, including critical minerals and hydrocarbons, and fostering dynamic business partnerships which will promote a prosperous future for Americans and Pakistanis.Recently, Islamabad has been able to make inroads into the Trump administration.Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir is back in the US' decision-making circles after years of isolation amid intense lobbying by Islamabad and Washington's eagerness to reciprocate, notwithstanding its robust ties with India.At the heart of this masterful manipulation is Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir, whose calculated charm offensive has turned US President Donald Trump's once-hostile stance toward Pakistan back into a strategic partnership. Trump had famously slammed Pakistan during his first term as a country that gave the US “nothing but lies and deceit,” Trump had tweeted at that time: "The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!" During his second term, Trump though, has often praised Pakistan while irritating India with his rough remarks.Munir has crafted his American trap with flattery, transactional diplomacy and strategic deployment of two high-stakes assets: Pakistan’s mineral wealth and a seductive cryptocurrency narrative.US-Pakistan trade dealMunir is courting US’ interests with access to Pakistan's untapped mineral wealth, particularly in resource-rich Balochistan, home to deposits of rare earth elements, copper, lithium and even oil (Trump has said the US and Pakistan will work together on developing Pakistan's massive oil reserves even though there is little evidence of such reserves).Trump Jr. and his business associate Zach Witkoff (the son of Steve Witkoff, an American real estate investor whom Trump has made his special envoy), both of whom visited Pakistan a few months ago, returned greatly impressed, according to reports.They were reportedly shown the potential of mineral and blockchain-based investment opportunities. These included cryptocurrency infrastructure projects tied to rare earth exports — a tantalising mix for the Trump family that has often blurred the lines between politics and business. It’s no secret that Trump has long viewed international diplomacy through a business lens. Pakistan played directly into this worldview by framing its cooperation as a stupendous deal -- minerals for American tech and energy needs, and crypto for financial innovation.Declaring BLA a terrorist organisationUS also recently declared the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and The Majeed Brigade as foreign terrorist organisations while Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir was in the US to attend farewell of US Central Command Commander General Michael Kurilla, who had previously termed Pakistan a "phenomenal partner" in counter-terrorism and later got a top award from Pakistan. The US designation of the BLA and the Majeed Brigade as foreign terrorist organizations (is not coincidental. The move effectively delegitimises resistance to Pakistani control over Balochistan, an area crucial for its mineral prospects but rife with insurgency.Human rights concerns and separatist sentiments in Balochistan have long been a thorny issue for Western countries. But the US appears to have deprioritised these concerns in favour of strategic access to critical minerals, essential for electric vehicle batteries, semiconductors and clean energy. By backing Pakistan's crackdown on Baloch insurgents, the US stands to benefit in its larger contest with China which currently dominates global rare earth processing.Has Munir flipped the script on America?At General Kurilla's farewell, Munir issued a wider nuclear threat to India, warning: "We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us." Munir's wild comment made from US soil shows his confidence stems from his ability to turn the US away from India and back into strategic partnership with Pakistan.India, long seen as the natural US partner in South Asia, may view this pivot with deep concern. The Trump administration’s sudden warmth toward Pakistan could complicate the US-India strategic relationship especially when Trump has imposed steep 50% tariffs on India while going soft on China. The American pivot towards India and away from Pakistan had happened as it saw India as a tool to counter China. For India, the US-Pakistan bonhomie suggests that even deep strategic ties can be overshadowed by transactional politics and personality-driven diplomacy.Whether one calls it a trap or a strategic masterstroke, Munir’s campaign has paid dividends. By recognising Trump’s vulnerabilities -- his need for flattery, deal-making instincts and hunger for legacy -- Pakistan has repositioned itself from being a problem to being a partner. It has cleverly used the tools of modern diplomacy, from crypto to critical minerals, to recast its strategic value to the US.What remains to be seen is whether this warmth will survive for long. Trump's foreign policy is known to be volatile and India can't be removed entirely from American strategic calculus. Despite differences on trade, India-US strategic partnership is still intact. While Munir has laid a well-crafted trap for the US, which appears to be walking into it, Pakistan's inability to deliver what it has promised -- or India's ability to emphasise its value to the US -- can lead to Munir's quick fall from US favour.

A century ago, the Swadeshi movement was a defiant act of resistance, urging Indians to boycott British goods. In 2025, the idea has evolved dramatically. It’s no longer about shutting the world out; it’s about drawing the world in, on India’s terms. This shift is reshaping global commerce, verified not by rhetoric but by factory floors, joint ventures, and capital investment.Global corporations aren’t just selling to India anymore, they’re making here. Supply chains are being reconfigured, bargaining power is shifting, and value creation is increasingly localised.Also Read: Independence Day 2025: Tryst with growth — India’s economic journey from Nehru to nowThe geopolitical backdropRising global trade tensions are amplifying this trend. US President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50%, citing India’s discounted oil purchases from Russia. Washington views this as indirectly financing the war in Ukraine. New Delhi, however, has stayed its course, signing fresh agreements to deepen economic cooperation with Moscow.Indian firms in the driver’s seatSwadeshi 2.0 isn’t about exclusion; it’s about control. The emphasis is on who commands capital, sets governance rules, and drives localisation. Foreign investment is welcome, but Indian hands remain firmly on the wheel.Take the SAIC Motor–JSW Group automotive joint venture. SAIC, the Chinese parent of MG Motor, reduced its stake in MG Motor India to 49%, while JSW acquired 35%. The remaining 16% is held by Indian investors, including financial institutions, employees, and dealers. Indian stakeholders now hold a collective majority, controlling strategy, governance, and operations.Similarly, Tata-backed IHCL acquired a 51% stake in ANK Hotels Pvt Ltd and Pride Hospitality for ₹204 crore, planning to rebrand most properties as Ginger and expand to roughly 250 hotels. Puneet Chhatwal, IHCL MD and CEO, frames it simply: to make Ginger “India’s number one mid-market brand serving 500 million potential customers in the next three to five years.”Also Read: Bank of Azad Hind: When Netaji gave India its own currencyConsumer goods illustrate the same principle. Piccadilly Distilleries’ Indri whisky is now the world’s fastest-growing single malt, capturing a 30% market share in India and selling over one lakh cases within two years. Indian single malts now account for 53% of category sales, proving that homegrown brands can dominate both locally and internationally.Global production, local controlThe same playbook is playing out far beyond spirits. Whether in luxury goods, tech, or manufacturing, Indian companies and partnerships are building scale, meeting domestic demand, and earning global recognition, while keeping profits, decision-making, and influence at home.One of the clearest examples is Apple’s expanding production footprint in India, a Make in India success story in motion. Government incentives, especially the Production-Linked Incentive scheme, have transformed the country into a hub for high-value electronics manufacturing. Tata Electronics plays a pivotal role: after acquiring Wistron’s iPhone plant, it became Apple’s first Indian contract manufacturer and later took a 60% stake in Pegatron’s iPhone facility in Tamil Nadu. Tata is also building a new iPhone plant in Hosur, significantly boosting production capacity. Taiwanese manufacturers Foxconn and Pegatron have invested heavily as well. By late 2025, most iPhones sold in the US were made in India, a clear sign the country has become a global production hub, not just a sales market.India’s appeal as a manufacturing base extends beyond electronics. Vietnamese EV maker VinFast has made India a launchpad for global expansion. Its new Thoothukudi facility, part of a $500 million first-phase investment in a planned $2 billion expansion, went from groundbreaking to production in just 15 months. The 400-acre factory is explicitly designed for exports across South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.Also Read: When Made-in-India engines alarmed the BritishTesla is also entering the fray. After opening its first showroom in Mumbai in July and a second in Delhi in August, the company is signaling serious intent, even while selling China-made Model Ys at nearly ₹60 lakh. India’s reduction of import duties on high-value EVs, from 100% to 70%, makes local production a compelling prospect.Additionally, high-value manufacturing is no longer optional; it’s central. The Tata–PSMC semiconductor fab in Gujarat aims to roll out the first Made in India chip by late 2025, ahead of schedule. Micron’s $2.75 billion assembly and test facility in Sanand is on track, and the Union Cabinet has approved four new semiconductor units with combined investment of ₹4,600 crore.India is building strategic, high-value industries from the ground up, creating both domestic capacity and global relevance.The Indian consumerFor decades, India was primarily a sales destination. That has flipped. Exports hit $825 billion in FY 2024–25, yet domestic consumption is now driving investment and strategic decisions. The RBI projects 6.5% GDP growth in FY 2025–26. An Edelweiss report estimates India’s consumer market will be the world’s second largest by 2030. Festive sentiment surveys show 92% of consumers plan to maintain or increase spending in 2025, with average budgets around ₹16,500. The message is clear: produce for India first. Global firms are adjusting, and India has become a driver of strategy, investment, and production decisions.Why India is attracting global businessMcKinsey highlights three core advantages: talent, consumers, and infrastructure. Trade-flow shifts could bring $0.8–$1.2 trillion by 2030 and raise manufacturing’s GDP share from 16% to 25%. About one-third of the world’s STEM graduates are Indian. Engineering, R&D, and sourcing could jump from $44–45 billion today to $130–170 billion by 2030.Also Read: India's space race: From bullock carts to Gaganyaan Infrastructure investments of $1.8 trillion by 2025 are modernising ports and logistics. Monthly household consumption has climbed from $271 in 2012 to $705 in 2023, reflecting India’s massive population and rising GDP.India as an outward investorIndia’s outbound investments are surging and diversifying. In FY25, they jumped 75% to ₹2,51,412 crore ($29.2 billion). Outbound deals aren’t capital flight, they widen market access, bring technology home, and professionalise supplier networks. In FY26 (April–May 2025), actual ODI reached ₹46,321 crore ($5.38 billion), with Singapore, Mauritius, and the US as top destinations. Notable moves include Aditya Birla Group’s $50 million R&D centre in Texas and Essar–Kowa’s $8.5 billion green hydrogen joint venture.The bottom lineThe first Swadeshi was about buying Indian. The current phase is about building with India. Partnerships, factories, and investments show that global companies no longer have to choose between selling to India and producing elsewhere. To stay relevant in one of the world’s most dynamic markets, they are making in India, and seeing the country’s shift from being just a large market to becoming a significant producer.