The Pakistani army’s offensive in the north, coupled with this morning’s bombings near the capital Islamabad, has raised fears among the country’s business community.
Two powerful bombs exploded one after the other on Monday morning, local media outlets reported. The exact location and number of casualties have not yet been revealed. The twin blasts followed a military offensive against the Taliban in the Kheibar area, in northern Pakistan.
"We haven’t heard the details yet, but certainly it’s a major cause of concern to us," Muhsin Khalid, an owner of a restaurant located on the main commercial avenue of Islamabad told The Media Line Monday morning.
According to Khalid, his business – like many other businesses in the area – suffered a major blow after the last blast in the capital, which took place in mid-March.
"Generally the sentiment was that everybody was suffering, whether it was in the manufacturing, or the services. People are a little concerned now as to which way the whole security situation is going," says Khalid.
It took Khalid’s business two months to recover from the effects of the last bombing. If something like that happened again, Khalid is worried the restaurant will again see "a drastic reduction and a huge loss of business."
Since the opposition in Pakistan won the February elections, Pakistan has witnessed a wave of violence, which has jeopardized the stability of the new coalition government. Internal disputes between the two biggest partners in the coalition have also contributed to a sense of instability in the country.
"There is definitely resentment on the ground against the new government," says Khalid. "Many are now saying the government has not been able to take matters into its own hands.
"There are definitely people who are thinking that the government has no decision-making capabilities and is lacking the ability or will to take tough decisions… But we definitely haven’t reached the point yet, where we can say that Musharraf was better than this,” Khalid concludes."