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. The American forces across the Afghan border are not helping and their incursions into Paksitani territory has only led to other innocent Paksitani deaths which adds to the argument of the extremists and has made the politics of dealing with extremism in Pakistan that much more difficult. But, whereever 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.
Pakistani government particularly current army government has given least value to Pakistanis themselves. How long can people bear attacks killing children from US and Pakistani armies? When US attacks they say “sorry” but Pakistani Army insists that all of them were terrorists.
Army should stop conquering there own people. Even former ISI chief Asad Durrani has said army should apologize for what it has done in the name of operations in various parts of country. Even when they can capture they prefer to kill..what else can be expect in return?
I think this chaos would have happened sooner or later. There was no way around it. I think there needs to be a multi-pronged approach:
– immediate ceasefire; whatever it takes (jirgas whatever). This will give the Govt some breathing space to think through a strategy i.e. if they are capable of formalizing one
– a sustained media blitz against the jihadis. The media needs to be co-opted by the Govt for this purpose. Those who are on the fence in this cause need to be tipped over into going against the jihadis. The people need to be behind any action against the jihadis…. that is imperative.
– Announcement of election schedule.
– All the parties getting together on one table for planning a resolution of this issue.
– Mush needs civilian support for this. There is no other way to win this.
We are also forgetting an unpredictable variable here; the CJ judgement…..I am not sure how that will play into this scenario.
And last on my wish list…. cut the umblical cord with the US. Pakistan First!
Good posts by Shafique, Ottomon and ????????, Shahbaz !
There is one point on which everyone on this blog agrees, a democratic process with an independent judicairy is the only long term solution.
On the short-term managment though everyone has his/her own opinion. This is the issue on which we are all really arguing. Here I agree with the views espoused by Shafique and Ottomon. Their cool headed counsel is what pakistan needs, only if someone in would listen.
To ??????????????????:
This war has got nothing to do with Waziristan, Balochistan or Lal Masjid! The roots of this war lie in the Afghan war of 70′-80’s and in the twisted policies of Gen. Zia who abused religion and destroyed the very fabric of Pakistanism that was in the making!
It will not go away with the going out of Musharraf.
The only solution is ban the jehadi madressahs and introduce radical reforms in the rest of them.
Pakistan is not going to progress with the length of the beard but with the height of wheat and other agricultural products as well as with the teaching of science and technology!
War? Whose war? The war that was designed by the fundamentalists in the ranks and files of the ISI to kill and maim Pakistani citizens is now coming to its natural conclusion that is to cause death and destruction among those (the establishment) who supported and tolerated the making of religious terrorist groups whose only agenda is and was to kill the followers of the opponent sect in the name of their version of Islam and in the name of the creators (Allah).
Pakistan is the only country where the security services were involved in the massacre of their own people and now their investment is paying back and the country is on the brink of civil/ethnic and perhaps sectarian war – sooner or later!
The important question to ask: from where are these terrorists getting their training and large quantities of high quality explosives? They are being chased in Afghanistan, Musharraf’s regime is not their friends, Iranians don’t like them and above the Indians dont want to see these religious fanatics getting stronger and stronger. So would we be wrong to assume that there are still rogue and dishonest elements with our security services who are providing and all the material and technical support to these fake jehadis who are sacrificing children for their twisted cause?
And Osama bin Laden? Don’t fool us that he is hiding in Tora Bora or Waziristan mountains! The Pakistani Govt or the US Govt should concentrate to look for him in the major cities of Pakistan, perhaps Islamabad, most probably being served and entertained by a retired Army high ranking officer in exchange for some money … of course again for the cause of Islam.