Whenever Pakistan’s economy attempts to move towards stability, the country’s adversaries increase their efforts to sabotage and carry out terrorist activities. This makes it clear what these forces want and the agenda they are pursuing. Recently, an important meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held in Pakistan. Opponents of Pakistan’s progress and stability tried their utmost to stop the conference, but they failed, and the Shanghai Cooperation meeting was successfully held in Islamabad.
Now, good news is coming from Saudi Arabia and Qatar regarding investment. Observing this, terrorists, their sponsors, and facilitators have once again become active. This time, their target was the innocent students of a school in Mastung. According to media reports, a bomb exploded near the Girls High School in Mastung’s Civil Hospital Square, resulting in the martyrdom of 9 people, including 6 children, while 33 others were reported injured, most of whom were school students. The incident occurred on Friday morning when a large number of students were arriving at school. The ages of the martyred children are reported to be between 11 and 13 years, and it has been said that the explosive material was placed on a motorcycle. The explosion also destroyed a police vehicle and damaged several cars and rickshaws present at the scene. The casualties included a police officer and a passerby.
Chief Minister of Balochistan, Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, condemned this act of terrorism and said that they would hold the perpetrators accountable for the blood of innocent children and victims. Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif also strongly condemned the bomb blast in Mastung, stating that the attack on school children was proof of the terrorists’ anti-education agenda in Balochistan. He emphasized that such cowardly acts would not weaken the nation’s resolve.
The Prime Minister instructed that those responsible for the terrorism be identified and punished. Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the attack, saying it was an act of brutality to target children and that those who play with the lives of innocent children do not deserve any leniency. The Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Umar Ayub Khan, expressed deep sorrow over the martyrdom of the children and the police officer, asserting that the nation’s spirit could not be broken by such attacks and that eliminating terrorism was essential for the country’s development and stability.
By targeting innocent children in Mastung, terrorists once again demonstrated that they neither have faith nor morals. Groups in Pakistan that engage in debates with “ifs” and “buts” about terrorists actually end up supporting terrorism. Pakistan has parasites that have grown fat on the hard-earned wealth of its people, exploiting the system’s facilities. These entities use the country’s infrastructure, identity cards, and passports to travel abroad while maintaining their affluence through public taxes, yet they refuse to contribute when the nation needs sacrifice. Conversely, there are still people within Pakistan’s system who facilitate terrorists. The authorities need to focus on eradicating these internal elements first. An external enemy cannot succeed without inside information and facilitation.
On one hand, promising economic indicators emerge related to Pakistan and Qatar, while on the other, an incident of terrorism takes place in Mastung. According to a joint statement issued by the Foreign Office about the Prime Minister’s visit to Qatar, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, at the Amiri Diwan in Doha, where the Emir welcomed the Prime Minister and his delegation.
The Prime Minister highlighted investment opportunities in key economic sectors of Pakistan. The Emir of Qatar expressed the importance of fraternal ties between the two countries and the desire of both sides to enhance economic partnerships, trade exchanges, and investment. Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, also met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during the visit.
During the visit, the Emir of Qatar and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif toured the exhibition “Manzar: Art and Architecture in Pakistan from 1940 to the Present” organized by Qatar Museums. Additionally, prominent Qatari business figures showed keen interest in investing in various sectors, including energy and infrastructure, in response to the Prime Minister’s invitation.
Amid these positive developments, what will be the impact of the distressing news of terrorism? There is no need to elaborate. Meanwhile, the State Bank of Pakistan announced that in July, it purchased $722 million worth of dollars from the local market to strengthen its foreign exchange reserves. This announcement came on Friday when the dollar’s value decreased by 0.15 rupees, bringing it to 277.70 rupees. Earlier in June, the State Bank had purchased $573 million worth of dollars from the local market.
Furthermore, it is encouraging that remittances in the first quarter of the current fiscal year amounted to $8.8 billion, which is 39% more than the first quarter of the previous fiscal year. Export earnings also increased by 8% to $7.4 billion. It is expected that the influx of dollars through remittances and other sources will continue, allowing the government to maintain foreign exchange reserves at around $13 billion by the end of the fiscal year.
These indicators suggest that Pakistan’s economy is showing signs of improvement. The foreign exchange reserves have increased, and the dollar’s value has stabilized to some extent. If reserves continue to grow, the dollar’s value may decrease further, positively impacting the economy.
Meanwhile, there has been significant reshuffling in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), with 18 officials in grades 20 and 21, including the Member Inland Revenue Policy and Member Inland Revenue Operations, being reassigned. Federal Minister for Information, Atta Tarar, stated that Qatar will invest $3 billion in Pakistan, which will further strengthen the economy. He noted that inflation has fallen to 6.9%.
He added that during the Saudi Minister of Investment’s visit to Pakistan, 27 agreements were signed, which have now increased to 34. All these developments paint an optimistic picture of the country’s economy. Another report noted that the trade deficit for the first four months of the current fiscal year recorded a 6% year-on-year reduction at $6.974 billion compared to $7.387 billion in the same period last year. Exports increased by 13%, while imports grew by 5%.
Pakistan’s government must focus on curbing the elements promoting extremism and terrorism within the country. Zero tolerance towards such activities is essential for safeguarding Pakistan and its people’s interests.