Adil Najam
What follows below is a repost. I had originally written this on July 19, 2007 after bomb blasts in Hangu, Hub and Kohat, which had themselves followed at the heels of blasts in Islamabad. Today, we just had two blasts in Rawalpindi with more than 15 people already being reported dead.
The continuing story here is of a nation at war with extremists. It is Pakistanis who are being killed here. Pakistanis who are being targeted. This is vile, this is cowardly and this is inhuman. While we are all distracted by the continuing political circus, the big story here is for Pakistan’s survival and the all-out war that has been declared on Pakistan by extremists and fanatics. Where ever you stand on politics, we must stand with Pakistan in this war and against extremists who have been murdering Paksitanis all over the place.
ORIGINAL POST
Suicide attacks today in Hangu, in Hub, in Kohat today.
This adds to the blast in Islamabad a few days ago and many others in the NWFP over the last many days. Even for a part of the world which has gotten tragically used to needless death and murder by suicide killers, this is crossing a threshold. The headline above may seem sensational to some, but is it really.
It is too simple to blame this on the Lal Masjid episode or just on the fact that we have a military government. I must say I get literally ’sick’ of attempts to turn these massive manifestations of a truly divided society into petty political sloganeering for whatever someon’s political preferences is. Thsi is NOT a time for propaganda; this is a time for real thought and real action. By all of us. This, as we at ATP have repeatedly argued, is a society at war with itself. And the war is now beginning to get much more bloody. The most recent attack (Kohat) was in a mosque. Most have targetted security forces; i.e., the apparatus of the state.
Let me be clear here. There is NOTHING ‘Islamic’ about any of these murderous attacks. This is not just anti-government. This is anti-state. This is anti-Pakistan. Indeed, this is anti-humanity. This in inhuman.
Here are the three breaking news items at The News: On Kohat killings (since writing this, number of dead is now up to 20):
A bomb blast in a mosque of Pathan Lines in Kohat Cantt. killed 11 and wounded several persons Thursday night. Immediately after the explosion, security personnel has cordoned the affected area and nobody is allowed to enter the area. According to the unconfirmed reports, it was a suicide bomb attack. However, the official sources did not confirm it.
On Hub killings:
The blast at RCD Highway in Balochistan’s Hub town Thursday claimed 30 lives, while 30 others were wounded in the incident, sources said. Several injured have been admitted at hospitals of Karachi in a critical condition. According to reports suicide bomber detonated the bomb when a convoy of Chinese engineers was passing through the RCD Highway in Hub. The vehicle carrying the Chinese however passed unscathed from the place, while four police mobile vans accompanying the convoy were caught in the blast. After the blast the panic-stricken security guards of Chinese engineers and policemen opened indiscriminate firing killing and wounding several nearby people. Thirty persons including policemen and passersby were killed in the blast, sources said… The huge explosion also destroyed 15 vehicles and motorbikes and damaged 25 nearby houses and shops. Thirty wounded persons were admitted at Karachi’s Civil Hospital, while three others were brought to Jinnah Hospital. Four wounded at the Civil Hospital were succumbed to their injuries, hospital sources said.
On Hangu killings:
A suicide bomber rammed explosives laden car with the gate of Police Training College, Hangu killing eight persons and wounding 26 others on Thursday morning. The bomber struck his car to the gate of the college causing eight deaths and injuring 26 others, police sources said. Civil Hospital Hangu has received 26 wounded persons, hospital sources said. Ten wounded persons were in a critical state and emergency has been declared in the hospital, sources added. Police have cordoned off the area and Peshawar-Hangu road has been closed for all traffic.
Writing earlier in The News, I had written that simply cause-and-effect will not do anymore because what we have is a society and state crumbling at its seams. Each doubtful of the other.
… there is the deepening cleavage between state and society. The difference between Lal Masjid and other similar situations — e.g., the 1993 standoff at Waco, Texas — is that in our case the state had such little credibility that each of its actions was deemed suspect by the media and the public. There was constant chatter that this was a ‘topi drama’ orchestrated by intelligence agencies. There were incessant rumours about how the operation was orchestrated. There were unending doubts about its timing. All of this was not simply a display of our inherent cynicism, these were manifestations of a society that has no trust in its state. This was not just a lack of trust in the government, it was a lack of trust in the state. And that is a truly ugly cleavage.
I truly hope I am wrong. But if I am not, then we really need to stop shouting and start thinking. Anger is never a substitute for analysis; and neither is of much use if it does not lead to real action for real change.
“and No this is NOT musharrafs fault…this has been around much much longer than him…”
Actually, it is musharraf’s fault. There were no suicide bombers in Pakistan before him. Pakistan army was not being targeted in Pakistan before. Hundreds of soldiers were not being kidnapped before. Military men were never asked not to wear uniform in public before. Barbershops and cd shops were not being bombed before him. There were no Pakistani taliban before musharraf. Not only has he not beeen able to control these, his policies are actually increasing these.
Every day he stays in power all these things are growing in magnitude and we are moving closer to civil war. It i smusharraf who is responsible for turning Pakistan into another algeria.
Thank you Mr. Adnan Siddique for answering my question. You actually have made your position very clear on who you stand with.
You are correct, I did give less lines to condemning Musharraf (although more than one). Interestingly you do not even have one line condemning anyone at all on the extreme right.
So, let me give it one more try. I will use your list this time.
Yes, I condemn Musharraf for using violence against Lal Masjid, Talibans, Waziristan. I condmn Musharraf for allowing NATO to kill Pakistanis. I condemn Musharraf for kidnapping his own people. I condemn Musharraf for selling his own people. I condemn Musharraf for Banning Pakistani Muslims from offering prayers (if he did that, I do not know if he did). I also condemn the murderers who had taken over Lal Masjid especially that Ghazi guy who had his own mother killed. I also condemn the terrorism of the Talibans. I also condemn the terrorism of the fundamentalists blowing up Pakistanis. I also condemn the extremism of the Taliban and the terrorism of Al-Qaida.
Happy now? I have more lines condemning Musharraf and I have included every point you had wanted.
So, now. Can you now please also condemn the extremists on the right. Since you keep saying you dislike both ‘cabals’ maybe you can for one condmn them too.Maybe even just one line. Please.
And if you think my list of who is extremist on the right is wrong then maybe you can tell us who is the extremist and fundamentalists on the right that you do condemn?
Afreen you gave me a laugh. One can clearly smell baisness in your so called confession when you write one liner for Musharraf and lengthy post about whatever you believed/read/heard about your opponents. You know what? I could do same by coming up entirely different version about Lal Masjid case,Talibans,Waziristan or what not by saying Musharraf allowed NATO to kill Pakistanis, Musharraf kidnapped his own people,Musharraf SOLD his own people. Musharraf BANNED Pakistani Muslims to offer prayer in Shah Faisal Mosque and other mosques when he or foreigners visited Pakistani sites etc etc etc because you also believed in same media which I do but then my rant wouldn’t be considered so called “neutral” enough.
Why did it irk you to come up with one liner that you condemn both secular/liberal extremism and religious extremism in Pakistan. Atleast I always believed in that and rejected the fanatics of both cabals. Unlike you, my statement is not an example of media propaganda and brainwashing and it’s applicable to any kind of extremism happen anywhere in the world regardless of who initiate that.
Atleast I was being bandwidth friendly that I wasted less words than yours. Have fun! I don’t think I need to explain you further, however you are free to carry on. *grin*
p.s: If you’re new on this site, kindly go thru archive of this forum by searching keyword “Adnan Siddiqi”, you would find out that whatever I _Repeated_ here was said several times by me in past.
What so ever going in the country clearly defines our capabilities which always hit on our faces after a short time benefit.
May Allah bless us as our short sighted policy makers / janta is resulting in these results.
One of reasons behind all these fiascos are so called management gurus (mostly FA, BA,BSC) sitting in all govt institutions who think that they are master of all jacks.
Policies made by such individuals are 99% short sighted and self centric ones. Resultantly, after some time, they bounce back on our faces !!
May God Bless Pakistan with Technocrates and Learned Leaders!!!!!!!!
Mr. Adnan Siddique, since you asked. OK.
I hereby condemn Gen. Musharraf and his actions. I condemn current and past policies of ISI. I condemn military dictatorship. I condemn dishonest and corrupt politicians. AND I condemn all Islamic fundamentalists. I condemn extremist mullahs who teach hate in the name of jihad. I condemn any and every person who kills innocent Pakistanis, including those who kill in the name of Islam and those who kill them in any other name. I condemn the killers who had taken Lal Masjid hostage and corrupted the minds of our young. I condemn Ghazi who held his own mother hostage and had her killed just for his personal fame. I condemn heavyhanded military action by government against lal Masjid when they shoudl have taken action against the criminal mullahs earlier by just arresting them way back when they first highjacked a children’s library. I condemn all actions by any and all foreign countries, especially including USA and Saudi Arabia, to interfere in Pakistan and to try to shape Pakistan policy through their dirty dollars and Riyals. I condemn all extremists and fundamentalists of the left who act in the name of liberalism AND I condemn all extremists and fundamentalists of the right who act in the name of Islam. I condemn all of them because they bring bad name to liberalism and bad name to Islam. I condemn all munafiqs who say something and do something else.
How is that?
Now, please, since I did what you wanted. Can you please join me in condemning ALL of the above. You can just copy the paragraph above and say you condemn them all too. I hope you will be able to do so, and if you choose to leave some of them out of the list we will all know what side you are on. Thank you and may Allah give you and all of us guidance.
Ms.Afreen, can you paste my statement(s) that I said that killing someone is right? if yes then do quote here otherwise don’t accuse someone just because you are unable to comprehend something. Instead of asking me, why don’t you have moral courage to condemn actions by Musharraf? if you think they are good then the people whom you call terrorist also think they re doing hence no difference between you and them.
Today’s killing of ISI officials just reflect that what was planned by Musharraf’s army cabal is being used against them now. They made different parties to use against their enemies now they have become victim of their own products. “Mukafat-e-Amal”, this is something which is called in Urdu.
D_a_n: may Allah bless your friend;s family Ameen but here a question arises. Here you are crying for your friend’s family because that family people were your friends. Similar hundreds of people who are missing and killed by musharraf, their family also cry and protest. Just read the papers for last 6 months, the pictures appear in which mothers and old fathers crying for their children. Imagine if it happens with you and some agency pick your son or brother for any fake reason, how would you react?
(Sorry I put this comment in the wrong place first)
The comments here by those defending the people who are killing innocent Pakistanis and innocent Muslims in the name of Islam reminds me of the scene in teh movie Khuda ke Leeye where these fanatics are killing other Afghanis and this guy killed by a fundamentalist dies while reciting the kalma. It was a very moving scene, and very sad too. But it seems that there are plenty of people ready to defend those who are killing other Kalma-Go Pakistanis!
Mr. Adnan Siddiqui, if you think that the peole on extreme right and extreme left are equally bad, then why do you constant and so strongly always defend those on the extreme right, even when they kill other Muslims?