- No quarter to networks that challenge the state
After Lahore yet another big-time cricket match was conducted safely in Karachi. Islamabad United dominated with the bat and ball as they defeated the Peshawar Zalmi by three wickets to lift the trophy of the third edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL).
A couple of years back it would have been unimaginable that such an event could take place in Karachi which continued to bleed for years since 2008. Political parties have welcomed the revival of cricket in the city maintaining that the successful conclusion of the PSL final would project the image of Pakistan as a peaceful country. There were self-congratulatory messages from PM Abbasi, Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah and Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar, each one seeking credit for the success of the event.
The PSL has no doubt breathed life back into Karachi after nine years. Defying the high temperature, cricket fans poured into the stadium hours before the match was scheduled to start. PM Abbasi told a delegation of business community in Karachi that the PML-N government had established peace in the city and was determined to maintain it in the future. While the PSL final has given hours of rare merriment to the people of the country in general and Karachi in particular, there is a need to be reminded that a lot needs still to be done to secure the urban centers against terrorism. The kind of strict security measures that had to be taken in Lahore and Karachi cannot be replicated for long for both their cost and public inconvenience.
The matches in Lahore and Karachi will send a positive signal to the investors, local and foreign. They will also help promote tourism. What is of cardinal importance for the economy to pick up is a stability in the system that can come by ensuring that the forthcoming elections are widely seen to be fair and free and are followed by a peaceful and orderly handing over of power to the winning side. Equally important is not to allow the extremist networks to indulge in episodes like the Faizabad sit-in.
