Best Things That Happened in Pakistan in the Decade 2010-2019

Ever since the start of this century, Pakistan has seen many ups and downs. There were positive and negative things that happened and shaped the collective conscious of the Pakistani people. Starting from 2010 on wards, the following are some of the positive things that happened in Pakistan. (Not exactly in chronological order)

18^th Amendment:

When Pakistan People’s Party came to power in 2008 after former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated, Pakistan had a semi-Presidential system where a lot of key powers were constituted in the presidency. One of the most celebrated constitutional amendments in the history of this country was the 18^th amendment conducted by the PPP government in 2010. Then President Asif Ali Zardari handed over his powers to the parliament in this historic amendment passed unanimously. The 18^th amendment also dissolved powers from the federation to provinces, making Pakistan a complete constitutional democracy.

End of terrorism:

The greatest achievement of Pakistan in the previous decade was its war against terrorism. At the beginning of the decade, the whole country was torn apart with bomb blasts. War on Terror took the heaviest toll on Pakistan where almost a 100,000 people, both civilians and military personals, were killed. The most devastating attack was the APS incident in Peshawar where terrorists attacked a school killing 144 children. An all parties conference was called and it was decided unanimously by all the political leadership that terrorism needs to be done with. The army launched a country-wide operation called ‘Zarb-e-Azab’ where hundreds of terrorists were captured and sentenced to die. At the end of the decade, Pakistan now is much safer and peaceful than it was at the start of the decade.

Cricket comes back:

Another downside of terrorism was when Sri-Lankan cricket team was attacked in Lahore in 2009 and as a consequence, international cricket was banned in Pakistan. This was a major blow to the image of the country internationally. This decade saw major progress in bringing international cricket back to Pakistan. Zimbabwe toured Pakistan in 2015, West Indies and Sri Lanka came in 2017-2018. PCB introduced Pakistan Super League in 2016 where for the first -time international players played in Pakistan and thus for the revival of cricket in Pakistan. This was huge as Cricket is the most popular sport in Pakistan with millions of enthusiasts in all provinces.

Democracy Completing Tenure:

Ever since Pakistan was formed in August 1947, the country has never seen a democratic government completing its due tenure and a smooth transition to the next elected government. There were weak governments, constitutional experiments, martial-laws, and emergencies that directly or indirectly did not allow this to happen. It is completely agreed that without the institutions running their due course, no true change can come. The first ever was in 2013, when PPP’s government completed its tenure and transferred power to the PML-N government elected in the 2013 elections. This tradition went forward and another full term for the assembly was completed along with a peaceful transition of power with Imran Khan led PTI following the 2018 general elections.

FATA-KPK Merger:

The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) which borders Afghanistan along the Durand’s Line have always been a contentious area. The War on Terror affected that area more than any other. Taliban insurgency had made it difficult for the government to reach out to the people. After continuous peace-making efforts by the Pakistan Army and after multiple operations against the terrorists, FATA has been cleared of all terror outfits. In 2018, after years of efforts, FATA has been officially merged with the KPK province in order for the government to reach out and spend on the human development in that area. This was done by a legislation which also deemed the people of FATA as equal citizen as the rest of Pakistan hence be given all the rights that are due with it. This merger was a breeze of fresh air for the people of FATA.

Kartarpur Corridor:

One of the most remarkable projects completed in this decade was the Kartarpur Corridor initiative taken on by the Imran Khan government. Kartarpur is a gurdwara at the final resting place of Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. This gurdwara is located only 4 kilometers away from the India-Pakistan border. Thousands of Sikh pilgrims used to come to the border on the Indian side and look at the gurdwara from binoculars. It was a long-advocated desire of the Sikh community to open a corridor on that 4 KM area so that Sikh pilgrims should be able to visit their second holiest site. In 2018, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that the government of Pakistan will make a corridor in Kartarpur to facilitate Sikh pilgrims. Work started on the project and in 10 months, a world class Kartarpur Corridor along with a whole security complex was inaugurated. Thousands of Sikh from all across the world came to the event which coincided with the 550^th anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak. The corridor made international headlines and added much to the international image of Pakistan as a pluralistic, inclusive, and democratic society.

Malala: A global icon for women education:

In 2014, Malala became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate in recognition of her efforts for children's rights and girl’s education. On October 2012, Malala was shot in the head at point-blank range by Taliban gunmen as she was returning from her school in Swat valley. The attack made waves around the world, and was widely condemned. That same year, on Human Rights Day, a special tribute to Malala was held at the Paris headquarters of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Being the youngest Nobel laureate, Malala made Pakistan proud and garnered a lot of good press for Pakistan globally.

Pakistan on way of becoming a Tourism Haven:

After having a turbulent decade, the good news that Pakistan received at the end of it was the international image of Pakistan getting better as the country was deemed in the top 3 travel destinations across the world for 2020. The tourism potential in Pakistan is tremendous and the current government plans to invest heavily in tourism sector to generate profit as well as bettering Pakistan’s international image which was devastated due to the war on terror. Pakistan has a variety of different tourism potentials such as religious tourism for Sikhs, Buddhist and Hindu pilgrims. From the mountains in the north to the deserts and pristine beaches of the south, Pakistan offers a wide variety of destinations for every kind of travel enthusiast. The northern areas of Pakistan are becoming one of the most favorite travel destinations for people around the world.

Chine Pakistan Economic Corridor:

As the Twenty first century moves ahead, China is on its way to become a global power. President Xi Jinping, in 2013, announced a multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure project named Belt and Road Initiative which will connect 154 countries in 3 different continents through land, sea, and train routes. The flagship project of BRI is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor that runs throughout the length of country connecting the southern Kashghar region of China with the port city of Gwadar. CPEC will have special economic zones all across the country. The project is said to be the game-changer in the region which will not only help creating jobs but to uplift the country’s economy. CPEC is the living proof of the formidable friendship between China and Pakistan and has been deemed as the most important project in Pakistan’s history.

Coke Studio:

Last but certainly not the least, one of the best things to come out of this decade was Coke Studio which became the identity of Pakistan’s music. Though it was started in 2008, but this decade is where it truly made its mark and produced wonderful music which was praised world-wide. Coke studio has produced 12 seasons until now and is expected to keep up the good work. Starting as a small-scale project, Coke studio has become a house-hold name and millions of fans around the world wait anxiously for next season every year.

All of these things tell us that there is a big room of growth for the people of Pakistan and we all can achieve more to make our country greater. All we see is what were the bad things that happened to us we should try to widen our horizons to see that there are a lot of thing that were out of our attention. people of Pakistan should try to look at the positive things that happened to our country this is the only way to move forward.