Adil Najam
In yet another brutal attack on Pakistan, terrorists targeted a police training facility near Lahore. In many ways the attack has similarities to the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team, also in Lahore.. News reports suggest a rising toll of dead and injured.
In a recent update, the siege of the compound has ended. Four of the militants have been caught and four have died. One hopes that investigations with the ones caught will lead to more concrete information, especially about the planning of these and other (past and future) attacks on Pakistan (more updates in comments section).
In an eye-witness account recieved by email, on an email list, Farooq Tariq writes:
I am writing this at 10am on 30 March 2009.
As I arrived back from my usual morning walk around 7am, a massive round of firing was heard at my place. I asked my partner Shahnaz, if she noticed that, she said maybe, a routine matter and such incident of firing is taking place almost daily. Then another round of firing started, I told her this is very unusual. It went on for some time.
I live near Jallo Park, and not for from G T Road that leads to Wahgha border. Manawan Police Training Center is on this GT Road and just opposite to our place, around a kilometer away.
I turned to the television, there was not any mention of this firing, but the firing was still going on. Around 7.30am, some private television stations started telling that firing and some blast is heard at Manawan Police Training center and no more details.
Manawan is name of a village at the suburbs of Lahore and now it has become almost part of Lahore. Just opposite Manawan, a police training center is located on main GT Road Lahore. One of the newly formed trade union of New Khan Transport Workers Union Office is just opposite this police training center. Next to this center is a bus depot of private bus company New Khan Transport. We have gone to this office many times. The area is newly built.
Now at 10am, nearly after three hours of the firing, It is now clear from all the reports that terrorist have struck at this center killing at least 20 police trainees and injuring over 100. The firing is still on. I can hear that even at my home, a kilometer away from the scene.
Rangers and special police squad have come to the area while still they are not yet abe to bring out all the injured from inside the compound. The private television channels are broadcasting scenes showing police men bodies lying at the morning police parade ground. The terrorist are still inside the compound.
I just called Kashif Aslam, a youth leader of Labour Party Pakistan Lahore, he lives very next to this Center, he told me that he heard massive blasts and then firing for a long time. He said many hundreds of people are watching the whole episode from their roof tops around the area. He had already left the area from back streets as the whole area is cordoned off already and GT Road a closed.
It seems that it is the same terrorist gang that had attacked the Sri Lanka cricket team on 2 March in Lahore. The gang is around ten persons who had all the latest arms and ammunitions. GEO tv reported that the gang has bags on their shoulders full of arms. They have now occupied roof top of the building. Although, police helicopter is seen flying over the compound.
After the attack on Sri Lanka cricket team, police had failed to arrest a single person involved in the attack. They group has now targeted a police center, it is believed that the numbers of the killed will be higher what is reported at present.
Earlier report in The News:
At least 20 people have been killed and 25 injured when gunmen attack police training center in Manawan near Wagah border on Monday. Attackers take positions inside police training center. They are wearing police uniforms and carrying backpacks and guns.
Rangers and police take positions around police training center. Army has also deployed to aid police. Emergency enforced in the hospitals. Police helicopters hover training center. The bodies and injured have been shifted to different hospitals. According to DIG Mumtaz Sukhara, the exact number of attackers yet to be known. Police have directed people to stay away from training center, however, large number of people present outside training center to support security forces. They are chanting slogans in favour of Punjab police and Pakistan Army.
Earlier, a series of at least five blasts were heard at the training centre at Manawan, and the explosions were followed by an exchange of fire between the attackers and policemen that is still underway. The officials said about 850 trainee policemen were present within at the facility.Reports said the gunmen lobbed several grenades as they launched their attack and then fired indiscriminately.
Week after week, month after month, one tires of writing again and again about these brutal murderous attacks on Pakistan and Pakistanis. But the pain does not lessen with familiarity to such news. The anger only grows.
I am sure the security services did a good job in neutralizing the terrorists. However, the comparison with Mumbai that some people here are doing is inaccurate. Firstly, this was a building of a security agency – so far in India none of the highly protected targets that were attacked by terrorists were allowed to be penetrated, much less facilities of the security services. The only exception is an attack in Srinagar in 1999, but that was the very first such attack anywhere and before lessons could be learned and applied. In every instance since then, the terrorists were neutralized “before” they could enter, whether it was the attack on the Indian Parliament, or the attack on the CRPF security camp or any of the numerous attacks that have taken place in J&K.
In Mumbai, the terrorists attacked unprotected soft targets, and took large numbers of civilian hostages early on. And they did it at multiple places across the city. Such a situation is vastly more complicated than an operation in a single-building military/police facility, where there is no risk of harming innocent civilians.
That said, I do think there are lessons that security agencies around the world can take from any incident, including this one.
One lesson they should not learn, however, is the way the soldiers involved fired in the air at the end of the operation. Whatever be the exhilaration that the soldiers felt, it seems stupid to risk lives by firing in the air. It is also a waste of public resources. In most security agencies, this would be a cause for disciplinary action – it would be hard to take such action in this case, because they after all fought and won a hard-won battle. But it does seem unprofessional and indisciplined.
Also, while the use of helicopters is good, the use of helicopter gunships in any situation other than war is stupid to say the least. I know that Pakistan has used gunships earlier too in counter-terrorist operations (in NWFP and FATA), but that was foolish too and showed a complete disregard for civilian casualties (so-called collateral damage). The use of gunships is a lesson I hope no Government draws from this operation.
Lastly, sympathies to the families of the personnel who lost their lives in this operation. They certainly did not sign up for this. Given that six people have been arrested, one can hope that the perpetrators will be identified this time and justice done at the end.
“It is just hypocrisy they send their own girls (like Sahbaz Sharif) to USA but remain silent on Taliban ban on girls’ education.”
faraz: I have ‘news’ for you. Every Pakistani politician, military & civil officer, industrialist and landlord worth his salt has a house in the West and the USA where their children reside, work, shop and go to school! The Sharif-Mairaj clan has not just one but multiple houses in New York and London where they come and go regularly.
This attack have proved one thing that our security forces and law enforcements are much more prepared,organised and brave….they finished the whole Drama in 6 hrs!!! and our neighbouring country took 3 dayz….
Thank God…iam proud of maw law agencies and i can majestically say that We have a world best Security forces around the Globe…..GOD BLESS PAKISTAN (ameen).
Job Well Done!
If you think from profesional point of view our security forces did a very well job. They brought commandoes within hours with gunship and terrorist were neutralized within hours. Indian security establishment should take lesson from it.
I think we just need motivation and resolve. Our army is perfectly capable of flushing out likes of Batullah.
Pakitsani media specially GEO and politicains like Imran, Nawaz and Qazi really makes me sick in stomach. They are the one who have cold corner for Taliban and will lobby country not a launch a full scale attack on Taliban. Will these poeple will like to live under place Taliban rule No. It is just hypocracy they send their own girls( like Sahbaz Sharif) to USA but remain silent on Taliban ban on girls education
There is great disconnect between the ruling classes and those being ruled or more correctly misruled. Young men from the poor and even lower middle classes see no hope and no promise in their lives that they are willing to give up their own lives and take many with them. On rational level these attacks are nothing less than suicidal. Yet these young Pakistani men are willing to commit such acts. These young men are being abused by the enemies of Pakistan. May that be internal or external. Yet ruling classes will go on till nothing will be left to rule. Who speaks in Pakistan for the hopeless and helpless. Nobody. Pakistan is burning while its upper middle classes and rich classes go on with business as usual. With every passing day Pakistan is getting closer to Iranian style Islamic revolution. When that day will come the ruling classes will be dragged out of their comforts and publicly executed like their counterpart in 1979 Iran. Who is there to stop the upcoming revolution?