Recent spate of terrorist bombing ‘well-planned’

ISLAMABAD: A spate of terrorist bombing – at least eight attacks claiming some 100 lives – did not rock Pakistan out of the blue, but was well-planned, well-coordinated and well-timed, with its sponsors being the same.

Pakistan’s top civilian and military leaders have not even an iota of doubt that these hits were orchestrated and directed by known terrorists, based in Afghanistan. Their conviction is apparently premised on the hard fact that no group in Pakistan has been left with the capacity and capability to strike as the concerted operations have decimated terrorists and upended their networks.

When Pakistani leaders articulated their belief that the terrorists from Afghanistan were organizing and fueling attacks in Pakistan, they have precise unimpeachable evidence to justify their opinion. It was backed up by the delivery of a list of seventy-six leading terrorists, holed up in Afghanistan, to the Afghan diplomats by the Pakistan Army and its demand to hand them over to Pakistan.

All the top guns have repeatedly made it clear to Afghanistan that the Jamaatul Ahrar that has claimed responsibility of the attacks is operating from its soil and needs to be hunted down quickly otherwise Pakistan would continue to bleed, which is intolerable. It is certainly a criminal approach, which entails a heavy cost for Kabul. Already, Pakistan has closed down its border with Afghanistan, which will definitely hurt this lawless neighbour further. Pakistan’s patience will be further tested if the Afghan government persisted with its slipshod policy and lack of will to proceed against the criminals, operating from its territory.

However, while the present wave of terrorism like earlier bombings inside Pakistan undoubtedly emanates from Afghanistan and only Kabul can move to rein it in, on its part Pakistani security agencies are required to do a lot to thwart these attacks. In most incidents, authorities have been dismally found wanting.

The subsequent claims by certain federal institutions that they had alerted about these impending attacks are frivolous because in no way these cautions were specific. Perhaps these can’t be. Such alerts generally contain general, tentative and sketchy information.

This is the first time after a long hiatus spanning nearly two years that such a flurry of terrorist assaults has struck Pakistan with a huge bang, rattling the security apparatus. The three days – Monday, Wednesday and Thursday – of this week turned out to be the worst.

However, it is shocking that the premier intelligence agencies and law enforcement paraphernalia remained oblivious and ignorant about the imminent back-to-back attacks. They were so unsettling that while the nation was yet to come out of the trauma of one assault, another struck it.

Not only the security institutions but every Pakistani has been rejoicing the remarkable control over the evil of terrorism mainly owing to the powerful military campaign, Zarb-e-Azb, and other across-the-board operations by police and other law enforcement agencies.

However, the bombings on these three unfortunate days have shaken the confidence of the general public to some extent and created fear and panic. People at large also feel that this despicable practice can’t be endured by the terrorists because they did not have the necessary wherewithal to overwhelm Pakistan.

Appallingly, shabby politics of point scoring was not kept at rest even at this mourning moment. When the Lahore suicide attack took place, claiming lives of two senior police officers among others, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), as usual poured scorn on Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, showing its indubitable venom against him for some other reasons.

Again when the Sehwan Sharif bloodbath occurred, Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari made her harshest dig at the interior minister and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which was uncalled for at this moment of immense grief when the persons injured in the terrorist attack were still dying in hospitals. Chaudhry Nisar visited Lahore and Sehwan Sharif in the wake of terrorist attacks.

In a series of tweets, Bakhtawar said: “0 tolerance 4 terrorism means stopping 300 million given 2 madrasas. Ripping out thank u letters of medical treatment. Sending ministers.., home when they blame cricket 4 attacks; questioning security agencies re frequency of such attacks; asking our interior minister 2 resign; after stupid unaffordable statements as good & bad Taliban post APS & when terror strikes - blame the terrorist; bought & paid media thriving in crisis providing misinformation that we can't afford. CM on scene where is interior minister post 8 blasts?; the media suddenly finds there is in fact a hospital in Sehwan to cover CM Sindh's visits there; wrong info by media not helping. Anger directed @ the barbaric terrorist who murdered children & mothers; anger @ ppl who fund & aid them!!”

This kind of politics was direly needed to be put aside at this heartbreaking time but immature approach continued unabated for petty political point scoring.