Adil Najam and Owais Mughal
Enemies of Pakistan are at it again; killing innocent Pakistanis in their murderous zeal. Murder and mayhem by terrorists has hit the city of Lahore second time in four days. This time in the form of a series of bomb blasts (at leastseven blasts today, according to some reports, and counting) that have already left more than 40 people dead (and counting).
At least seven blasts in Lahore have been reported today, at least 5 of them in Iqbal Town, Lahore. Although some of the later blasts were of less intensity, the goal here was to create panic. And it did. Especially because the terrorists planned them right around the time of Juma prayers – these killers seem to relish the killing the killing of Pakistani Muslims. There are also reports that the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan has claimed responsibility for these murders:
… The heads of both alleged bombers were recovered from the scene of the blasts while two suspects were also arrested, the Inspector General of Punjab Tariq Salim Dogar told reporters after the blasts… Meanwhile, the proscribed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed the responsibility for twin Lahore bombings. The blasts took place at 12:48 pm within the space of 15 seconds at R. A. Bazar as crowds gathered for Friday prayers. The blasts were so powerful that it caused cracks in nearby buildings besides shattering window panes. “We have collected concrete technical evidence, which will help identify the attackers. Both the attackers were on foot,” the IGP said.
There is little point in laying out the details here (The News update can be read here). The details keep changing. And yet they never change. We keep writing this same post again and again and again. The heart bleeds no less. The eyes swell up as ever. But the killing goes on.
One is tempted to say that the killing is senseless. But for those who kill, it is not. They know exactly what they are doing and why they are doing it. It is planned murder. And it is planned murder for a very clear effect. It is planned to destabilize Pakistan. Why they wish to do so is irrelevant. That is the effect, and that is the planned effect. But trying to “make sense” of why this is happening is also futile. What we need to think sensibly about is our own reaction to these attacks. Finding “hidden hands” is not going to help since the “hand” is all too obvious. Debates about causes and faults and contexts and history will be important, but right now they are just being used as a device to confuse. If someone can plant a bomb, again and again and again, in the heart of our cities in the midst of our children then at least two things should be clear: one, the enemy IS within us; two, this fight IS our fight.
For those who say this war is not “our” war, we ask: how many Pakistanis have to die before it does become out war! For those who cry about wanting Pakistan to do more, we ask: How many more Pakistanis will need to die before you think we have done enough!
Not to take away from the gravity of the tragedy, and all our hearts bleed for the deceased, wounded and terrified, I’d have to say that, at some point in the (hopefully near) future, maybe at least a few Pakistanis might agree to listen to alternative, non-mainstream, views and analyses of the situation?
Like you guys are saying: don’t blame America, it’s now our war, I’d reply: why then do you keep blaming India if it’s OUR war.
Adil, what evidence do you have that these attacks are meant to destabilize Pakistan? Are you conveying someone else’s views, or are you an expert yourself, or have inside awareness of Taliban psyche?
We need to think differently and the whole foreign policy toward the West (and against India) needs a massive overhaul. Using your words, how many Pakistani deaths would it take for some of you to listen to people offering alternative explanations? Let’s shed our egos aside.
I red all the comments but found no sense in any of them. They say,”We are at war as this is our war, 100% paky war”, but I don’t find that paky ‘Moula Jatt’ style hero, a mega-terrorist, with his missiles loaded with nuclear bombs threatening to destroy our enemies by mass-indiscriminate bombing of their country. What use are his bombs in this war. Compared with him, the Talibani suicide-bombers are just micro-terrorists who are pitiably killing themselves just to send some pakies to heaven as ‘shaheeds’.
And what non-Taliban paky dacoits are doing? They are no body’s concern. They break into houses freely these days and behave like ‘darindas’ (beasts), placing at peril, life, honour and property of the citizens of Pakistan with such ferociousness that Talibani terrorism dwindles against it. What a pity the people do not even dare to report against them to the police.
And above all, we do not know to whom go for prayer against them all – God, Allah or Khuda.
@Razia
The Taliban claimed the Lahore attacks, as they have claimed many previous terrorists attacks in Pakistan. However that makes no difference to Taliban sympathizers.
Unless people like Razia don’t take their heads out of the sand and take a whiff of reality…….Pakistan is doomed. Blackwater is not responsible for our troubles, neither is India, Mossad or the USA. The culprits are the bearded animals that dare to call themselves muslims. Before we accept that our country alone is responsible for all its woes, we can’t begin to correct anything. Stop listening to morons like Ahmed Qureshi and the clown Zaid Hamid………they don’t know their history and are dishonest about the little they do know. What we need to do is take religion out of the equation and out of every part of the state apparatus. Take it out of our passports, our ID cards, and the constitution. Take it out of our country’s name……I would rather live in Paksitan, not the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Stop supporting the Afghan taliban, ban all religious parties that do not cut their ties with the militants, even if they change their names to avoid censor. Insist that the military give up its failed afghan and kashmir policies and insist that they stop using jihadis in their proxi-wars. If all this seems impossibel to do……..it is. But when most of our countrymen prefer to be blind to the truth and continue to blame everyone else for our problems, the task is more than impossible.
Unless and until the drones stop killing civilians and the CIA and Blackwater stop running free in the country with complete immunity, we are not going to find out who is doing the killing in Pakistan.