Pakistan, Aug. 8 -- In the summer of 2025, as Donald Trump rewrote the rules of global trade once again, tariffs were no longer just economic tools - they became weapons in a war for geopolitical dominance, domestic optics, and industrial revival. His newly enacted tariff blitz, targeting dozens of nations with levies ranging from 10% to 50%, marked a historical shift not seen since the 1930s. But while the world reacts to America's tariff walls, a quieter tragedy unfolds in Pakistan - a country with low tariff access but production shackles so tight, it can't run the race it's already qualified for.

When the United States announced sweeping tariff revisions in August 2025, the policy was spun with nationalist fervour. Trump's campaign t...