Sharif was dismissed from power in a military coup on Tuesday. Still, the good will may not last in a nation struggling with economic troubles, religious turmoil and severe dissatisfaction over decades of corruption and undemocratic rule. The capital, Islamabad, has been extremely quiet since the army-led coup Tuesday, with almost no visible military presence on the street.
Stores are open, prices are unchanged, and people talk willingly to foreign reporters.
The calm is a remarkable testament not only to the unpopularity of Nawaz Sharif's overthrown government, but to the deep political apathy that the Pakistani people feel after 10 years of instability. Sporadic celebrations have taken place around the country, mostly held by Sharif's opponents in former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party. Signs of Martial Law Nearly the only sign of Pakistan's move toward martial law came Thursday when troops moved into the National Assembly and dismissed the staff. Even if they don't admit it, this is martial law. No one in Pakistan seems to be mourning the departure of Sharif from the political scene.