The US presidential elections, on which the eyes of the whole world are fixed, will be held on Tuesday. In Pakistan too, Democrat presidential nominee Barack Obama is gaining popularity due to his announcement of increasing non-military assistance to Pakistan and his offer to assist in resolving the long-standing Kashmir dispute with India.
John McCain, being a Republican candidate, is unpopular among Pakistanis due to the present US government's policy of attacking Iraq, Afghanistan and recently the tribal areas of Pakistan.
Kashmir is a bleeding wound for the entire South Asian region, particularly Pakistan is having emotional attachment to Kashmir dispute and any super power, which will help in resolving this dispute will win the hearts and minds of Pakistanis and Kashmiris alike, a Kashmiri leader Abdul Hameed Lone told Business Recorder on Monday. He said that the statements of Barack Obama regarding resolution of Kashmir dispute had raised the hopes of Pakistanis and Kashmiris, who were suffering dearly due to this issue.
He said that Pakistan was, at present, facing economic problems, which were result of the aggression of Bush administration. Obama's pledge to support Pakistan would definitely have a positive impact on his popularity graph in the country, he added.
Ali Hammad, a lecturer at a reputable university of Islamabad, said that considering the positive statements made by Obama regarding Pakistan, "we strongly support him" and, at the same time, termed John McCain as a big enemy of the whole Muslim world. Umer Farooq, student of MBA, Bahria University, said that the statements made by Obama were too diplomatic. On the one hand, he said that he would attack Pakistan to eliminate terrorism and, on the other, he said that he wanted to resolve Kashmir issue to establish peace in this region.
However, he was also not in favour of McCain as the next President of America because of the US military attacks on Iraq, Afghanistan and currently on Pakistani territory. A businessman, seeking anonymity, said that he strongly supported Obama because of his past record and democratic approach, and strongly opposed McCain, saying that he was less educated as compared to Obama. Basit Subhani, President of Payaam Foundation, showed his preference for McCain, as he thought he supported Pakistan. However, majority of the people strongly supported Obama, and wished him best of luck.
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