Pakistan’s leaders embark on last day of campaigning before lacklustre general elections on Feb 8

Fresh Khan trialHe faced a fresh trial starting Tuesday, this time in an anti-terrorism court, over riots led by his supporters last year.The election comes against the backdrop of an economy in dire straits and a significant rise in militancy.The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based think tank, said there had been a “staggering” rise in militant attacks in the past year, with an average of 54 per month—the most since 2015, when the army launched a massive crackdown on militant groups.At least 10 officers were killed on Monday when militants attacked a police station near the Afghan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.Officials said Tuesday that nearly half of 90,000 polling stations had been declared “sensitive” or “highly sensitive,” and extra security would be deployed.”To counter these risks, we have devised a three-tier protection plan. The police constitute the first tier, followed by the civil armed forces, and (then) the armed forces,” caretaker Interior Minister Gohar Ejaz told a news briefing.Inflation is galloping at nearly 30 percent, the rupee has been in free fall for three years, and a balance of payments deficit has frozen imports, severely hampering industrial growth.”Pakistanis are more discouraged than they have been in decades about a multitude of economic, political and security challenges that are threatening their country’s stability,” Gallup said its poll findings revealed.”Last year, just one in four approved of Pakistan’s leadership.”



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