Campaign of fear

Approximately 57 killed, scores injured and a public
cowering under the faceless shadow of an enemy they know only as terrorism; this was Lahore on 12/3, 2010, a city caught in the eye of a storm that has been raging for years now.

Twin suicide blasts ravaged the RA Bazaar in the Cantonment area of the city, spreading fear, pandemonium and death in this relatively untouched area. Targeting an army convoy patrolling the bazaar’s mosque perimeter during Friday prayers with one bomb, and then further confusing an already distraught public with gunfire and a second bomb immediately after, this attack has bloodied our government’s claim of having everything under control as far as terrorism is concerned. An area ‘heavily secured’ by the military, this assault on the security forces and the citizens has demonstrated the Taliban’s devotion to upping the ante as retribution for their recent losses in FATA. Also, this attack comes as an ‘in your face’ warning that no place is safe, especially those that have, in the past, been deemed impregnable by the security forces.

The glaring inconsistencies of our establishment’s vows to protect its citizens became laughably clear when miscreants detonated a series of cracker bombs in the Allama Iqbal Town and Samanabad areas of Lahore later the same evening, spreading panic and trepidation, but mercifully without adding to the earlier victims’ toll. With the media and police being led on a wild goose chase with one bomb after the other let loose upon residential blocks — behind a police station and the homes of police officers — the resulting chaos and disarray was the terrorists’ cheeky attempt at playing with the psyche of the citizenry. While the Cantonment blast was a raw exhibition of Taliban vengeance, the follow-up attacks preyed upon disabling our psychological well-being. The result? Eroding public confidence in the security agencies and the government.

The public has every right to foam at the mouth; with such lapses in our security arrangements, it is a wonder such a blatant assault has not come sooner. And the powers that be still do not learn. Security check posts are the establishment’s favourite measure in attempts to curb such incidents. In such a climate of unrest, where civilians and the security forces are both fair game, holding up traffic for at times hours on end provides potential suicide bombers a tempting opportunity. It is not possible to check the documents and vehicles of every single citizen; different measures of security enhancement will have to be introduced.

Lahore was a ghost town on Friday night and many late night travellers report no increased screening processes, something disturbing and welcome at the same time. Bringing life to a grinding halt is an aim of the aggressors; not giving in should be our deafening answer.

This is a murky war where suspicions are on higher alert than our security agencies, and civilians are being considered fair collateral. Therefore, it is the public that needs to fight back. Instead of gathering its forces for a ‘beef up’ in security and causing an imminent threat at check posts, the government ought to fully champion a mass media campaign aimed at educating and training the public on counter-terrorism strategies. Pakistan is in a state of war; the community needs to be well rehearsed in how to identify potential threats and suspicious behaviour. The citizens need to be the country’s watchdog because the assigned authorities are proving unequal to the task.

The Punjab government’s recent show of brotherly love with a banned organisation, so as to secure by-election votes, has also indirectly legitimised the violent theology of such outfits. Now with Punjab caught in the crosshairs of a struggle on fundamental grounds, should the provincial government be held responsible for fanning these ideological flames? Until and unless the Punjab government discards its selfish race to increase its vote bank, and unites with the federal government to cast out this scourge of aligned terrorist networks — Afghan/Pakistani Taliban and other outlawed outfits — such episodes could be witnessed time and again.

dailytimes.com.pk