No respite

Terror struck the country once again on Friday after a militant attack near an imambargah in Parachinar left at least 24 people dead and close to a hundred injured. The target of the attack appeared to be the women’s entrance to the imambargah, and took place as worshippers were gathering for Friday prayers. While the authorities have not confirmed who was responsible for the attack, a parliamentarian from the area said the attacker was a suicide bomber. The Jamaatul Ahrar, an offshoot of the TTP believed to be based in Afghanistan, put out a statement claiming responsibility. Parachinar, located on the Afghan-Pakistan border, has been one of the most sensitive areas in the country given its proximity to the border. Another bombing at the Eidgah bazaar in January this year killed 25 people. Right now, we have the usual statements and measures seen in the aftermath of an attack. The prime minister and other leaders have condemned the blast, and compensation has been promised to the victims. But in the longer run, all this means very little. Those who have died will never return. Even worse, we still live with the constant danger of other lives being lost in a similar fashion. Just this year alone there have been major attacks in all four provinces and the tribal areas.

The Parachinar attack serves as a reminder that the TTP and other militant groups emerged from regional militant groups that have a virulently anti-Shia ideology. There have been more than a hundred sectarian attacks on places of worship in the last 15 years. This raises the questions of why the government has not done more to provide security, especially on Fridays when militants are most likely to strike so that they can cause maximum casualties. Naturally, there will also be talk of the Afghanistan connection. Relations between the two neighbouring countries have progressively worsened over the past five years. What is crucial at the moment is to find a mechanism to tackle the problem. This can only happen if the two countries give up their vitriolic language and discover the kind of maturity needed to work together for the good of their nations and their people. We must also understand that the war against militancy cannot be fought only on the battlefield. Defensive measures are essential to protect a vulnerable population and so far the state has not been able to keep us safe. Indeed, too often it seems very little progress is being made. Just as we enter a period of calm, it is shattered by news of yet another act of violence targeting innocent people. The fate of the injured and maimed often goes unnoticed. The headlines die away quickly. But the terrorism does not end and with each attack comes a further litany of misery for all those affected and further evidence of a failure to prevent it.