Pakistan is facing various kinds of armed conflicts presently. With the Taliban and Al Qaeda using suicide bombers to achieve their goals in this region, our armed forces along with NATO forces are busy in clearing out militants and terrorists.

However, today we won’t talk about terrorism acts carried out by militant organisation. Rather, we will discuss the individual acts of killing which are on the increase. Only a psychoanalyst can explain this phenomenon that why murders are on the rise, but one thing is certain: Pakistanis, perhaps due to remaining under pressure for such a long time, are losing their mental equilibrium. They have become trigger-happy and very intolerant. They now prefer to solve their disputes by the show and use of force rather than by argument or judicial process. Following are the brief descriptions of lawlessness occurred during the first week of February in various parts of the country.

Islamabad, February 3: A former judge of the Peshawar High Court, Muhammad Sardar Khan, was shot dead in the afternoon. His body was found at Ibne Sina Road riddled with 13 bullets. Police is still clueless about the murderers.

Islamabad, February 3: Registrar of the NUML (National University of Modern languages), Brig (r) Obaidullah Ranjha, gave a hiding to a faculty member Professor Tahir Malik for criticising the NRO and Gen Musharraf. The common room discussion which should have produced intellectual surge, ended in violence. A senior officer, regardless of the provocation, should have set a better degree of tolerance than trying to win the argument with a bang. The brigadier has since resigned.

Sargodha, February 6: Six members of the same family were found dead in their house. They had all died of gunshot wounds. Muhammad Aslam, a retired warrant officer, was the first to discover the bodies of his slain wife, son and four young daughters, when he returned home from mosque after offering Fajr prayers. The son was a flying officer. The shooter has not been identified.

Islamabad, February 7: Some unidentified people riding a car gunned down a tea vender and his son and disappeared. The Turnol Police has yet to catch the killers.

Kharian, February 7: A village near Kharian witnessed indiscriminate killing of 15 people, five of whom were brothers, by a rival group on account of old enmity. The culprits have been identified, but so far the police have failed to arrest them.

Sialkot, February 7: A 20 year old Daewoo bus hostess was going home after completing her duty when two men in a car intercepted the van and kidnapped her, while the Daewoo driver and the security guard watched in silence. The kidnappers, after raping her, threw her on the roadside. The police with the help of the victim arrested one of the culprits who is married and father of a little girl.

Islamabad, February 7: In a fracas during the voting for the vacant seats of AJ&K legislative assembly, a PPP worker lost his life when he was hit by a gunshot fired by an unidentified killer.

Rawalpindi, February 8: Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, former federal minister and candidate for the National Assembly seat, narrowly escaped death when he was stepping out of his election office. His gunman and two party workers were killed instantly.

Karachi: Korangi and some other areas of Karachi witnessed the spate of target killing which took 26 lives before it stopped suddenly. The police and security agencies are at a loss to pinpoint the persons or groups responsible for this dreadful act and so far have failed to arrest a single target killer.

Email: mirjrahman@hotmail .com