Adil Najam
The cowardly suicide attack on the Danish Embassy in Islamabad which has led at least eight people dead is not just an attack on a foreign embassy in Pakistan, it is an attack on Pakistan.
There is and there can be no excuse for this dastardly action, and to make excuses is to become part of the apparatus of validating the terror itself. There are those who will make misplaced claims about this being an act of ghairat (honor). Let us be very clear, this is a bay-ghairat (dishonorable) act, no matter what the concocted excuse or justification might be.
The Associated Press pictures above (and below) tell the story of hate and destruction; here are the details, from The News:
The death toll in a huge blast near Danish embassy in F-6 II area in the Red Zone of the federal capital Islamabad on Monday has reached to eight, while seven wounded said to be in a critical condition. The car blast near the Denmark embassy damaged a boundary wall of the building, while nearby UNDP office premises were also damaged in the blast. According to sources 10 to 15 kilogram explosives were used in the blast, which also shattered the vehicles parked in the area. Huge clouds of smoke were seen over the area. The blast created four feet deep crater sources said. Police have cordoned off the area to collect evidence about the incident. Relief operations were underway and the wounded being transferred to hospitals.
While leaders in Pakistan as well as Denmark have condemned the dastardly act, we the people of Pakistan also need to condemn and be outraged at this. These acts of venom and hate are being done in our name. And no matter what the cause we need to stand up and say that this cannot, must not, be allowed to happen in our name.
This is just the latest in a string of hate blasts across Pakistan, including in Islamabad. We at ATP have been worried and have been warning against this culture of violence that has been festering in Pakistan. ATP commentator Deeda-i-Beena has provided some thoughtful ideas of steps that can be taken to begin addressing this cancer. It is time we think of them seriously.
I long for the day when we can all look back to this time and remember it as a dark era of the past that was full of corruption, violence and madness.
Then we’ll say, “wow, Thank God those days are long gone.”
This act of violence is unforgivable and is highly condemnable in our religion. What they have achieved is the killings of innocent people, prevalence of violence and establishing the reign of terror.
As a nation, the only way to control this menace is to take strong action against these terrorists. And infact the nation proved it by electing moderate forces in February 18 elections. But we need to continue this struggle unless this hatred and violence is completely eliminated from our society.
I don’t see what this has to do with (lack of) education. Lack of humanity? Possibly. Also, I disagree with those who think that gruesome images should not be published; I think that the media should do their best to put the truth out there, regardless of how “disturbing” the images might be. People burning to death, children being crushed SHOULD make you cringe; hopefully they’ll haunt us enough to do something to stop this from happening again.
I don’t make much of the cartoon angle on this one. Osama is totally irrelevant in Pakistan now; his popularity is now at 5%, according to a recent survey.
This is indeed inhumane but the factors leading to such horrendous acts are not in black and white. There are certain subtle interwoven reasons that need to be seperated and dealt with seperately. It is very easy to play the blame game, announce an inquiry committe formation and practically take no measures. It takes commitment, determination and deep understanding of the human psychology.
I believe the important thing is that the mind that plans destructionsneeds to be tracked down and not just the hands that cause it. and the government ,by providing no future security to our youth, is equally guilty. Such acts become the outlet of all the inner turmoil a young mind goes through.
I think that third image – the Pakistani woman sitting and crying with her head in her hands tells everything about how all Pakistanis feel today. Sad, disgusted and ashamed at this and at whoever did this.