Terrorist attacks in Pakistan decline by 70pc, people flocking to shopping malls: Washington Post

ISLAMABAD: After years of terrorist attacks, military coups and political upheaval, Pakistan for now has settled into a period of relative calm.
“Over the past nine months, government statistics show, major terrorist attacks have declined 70 percent, and Pakistanis are flocking back to shopping malls, resorts and restaurants,” a report carried by Washington Post on Tuesday said. “The relaxed and optimistic mood in Pakistan was benefiting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif politically,” it said.
“Still, the arrangement is allowing Sharif to do something that Pakistani leaders have struggled to accomplish for much of the past decade: implement a road map for what a peaceful, stable Pakistan could look like. And in the process, Sharif is winning over skeptics despite his low-key leadership style,” the report maintained.
According to the report, one year after he was nearly bounced from office, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has hung on amid signs the country could be on the cusp of a surprising turnaround. “People are feeling more secure.
There are development projects, and the perspective of people is changing to say, `Okay, now we can see things are going well,” the Washington Post quoted Zafar Mueen Nasir, dean of business studies at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics as saying.
“Of course, there will always be some criticism and always a second opinion, but as far as I am concerned, this government is at least showing some progress.”
The report referred to last year’s sit-in in the federal capital and said, “But as Islamabad slipped into an unusually chilly fall, Sharif outlasted the protesters.”
“Now, Sharif has turned his attention toward trying to rebuild a chronically sluggish economy while also delivering shiny new amenities for residents,” the report added.
“It’s a strategy that has become easier to implement this year, as a military campaign in Pakistan’s tribal belt and its largest city, Karachi, has been credited with reducing terrorist attacks and other crimes.”
The report quoting the South Asia Terrorism Portal, which monitors violence, said, “In the first eight months of this year, 680 civilians have been killed in terrorist attacks, compared with 1,194 in the same period last year and 2,246 in 2013.”
The Washington Post report, however, noted that a rapidly growing country of 180 million, Pakistan has plenty of obstacles to overcome.
In this respect the report mentioned energy shortages, poor nutrition for children, unsafe drinking water and sporadic access to medical care, low income levels, unemployment as well as “unsettled” relations with India and Afghanistan.
According to the report, Pakistan’s bare-knuckled political system also remains unsettled. “Sharif, who still has 2 years remaining in his term, will continue to face relentless challenges from political rivals eager to exploit the next crisis,” it added.
“But in recent months, speculation about a civil war or an economic collapse has died down. Instead, credit agencies are boosting Pakistan’s bond ratings and large investment firms are advising clients to take a second look at opportunities here,” the report maintained.
“It is the best, undiscovered investment opportunity in emerging or frontier markets,” the report quoted Charlie Robertson, London-based chief economist at Renaissance Capital as telling the Bloomberg News in late June.
The International Monetary Fund, which has extended a $6.2 billion loan, released a report last month crediting Pakistan for its 4.1 percent growth in gross domestic product this year, with a bump up to 4.5 percent projected for next year, it added.
Many economists and analysts, however, remain skeptical that Pakistan’s economy and government have truly turned a corner toward happier, more prosperous times, the report said.
“Sharif, however, has started delivering on his promise to make life a bit easier for Pakistan’s middle class, which for decades has endured substandard transportation, housing and employment options,” the report said.
The report further said, “who also served two terms as prime minister in the 1990s, Sharif is promising to build 800 miles of highways and 14 power plants by 2018.”
According to the report, several of the projects are designed to accommodate a major expansion of Chinese investment in Pakistan.
China is hoping to use Pakistani roads and ports to open up new trading routes via the Arabian Sea, which could also help Pakistan expand its manufacturing base, it added.
“Although that partnership might take decades to reach its potential, Sharif is also implementing shorter-term goals to improve life for Pakistanis”, the report said.
In May, Sharif inaugurated a 14-mile rapid-bus system connecting the relatively affluent capital of Islamabad to the working-class town of Rawalpindi, the report said, adding, a month earlier, the government introduced new cross-country, deluxe train service featuring air-conditioning, WiFi and televisions.
“The Islamabad airport, consistently ranked as one of the most outdated in the world, has been upgraded with spiffier ticket counters, air-conditioned shuttle buses and its first fast-food restaurant”, the report mentioned.
“This government is far better, compared to previous governments,” the report quoted Dilawar Ali, a 43-year-old engineer, as saying that he shopped at a market in Islamabad. “Look at these Metro bus projects, these roads and bridges. We could only imagine such things when we were in school and college kids.”
According to the report, in Karachi, which generates a quarter of Pakistan’s GDP, business leaders are also angered by Sharif’s efforts to broaden Pakistan’s tax base - a key demand of the IMF and other creditors. Pakistani farmers are nervous about sluggish exports.
“Still, for the broader Pakistani public, the country finally appears to be waking up after a decade-long slumber,” the report said. After the Ramadan holiday ended in mid-July, surprising numbers of Pakistanis flocked to Himalayan mountain resort towns, overwhelming highways and hotels, it added.
Last month, the largest crowd in years filled Islamabad’s streets to celebrate Pakistan’s Independence Day.
In Peshawar, where the Pakistani Taliban killed about 150 teachers and students at a school in December, merchants are also reporting an increase in business as violence waned this year, the report added.
“No doubt, business activities are encouraging,” the report quoted Haji Khanan, a 50-year-old shop owner in Karkhano Market, on the edge of Peshawar near tribal belt as saying. “You can see for yourself. Look, there are no free spaces available for parked cars.”
“It’s 10 p.m., and I am here shopping with my kids and wife, and in previous years I would not be going out at this late hour,” the Washington Post quoted Arif Khaliq, 43, while buying back-to-school shoes.