VIEW: A new phase of terror? —Naeem Tahir

The attack on Data Darbar makes a naked and blatant declaration of terror against a peaceful Muslim community that does not subscribe to Wahabiism, Salafiism or Qutbism. It has shaken up the largest Muslim sect in the country

The attacks on the shrine of Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh in Lahore killed 44 worshippers in prayer and injured another 100. The terrorists chose Thursday to execute their plan when the attendance was very high.

There is no precedent for such an atrocity; an attack on peace-loving people in a shrine that symbolises sufi thought across Pakistan. The only parallel one can think of is the attack in India on Ajmer Sharif on October 11, 2007. Khawaja Moeen-ud-Din Chishti’s burial place was left with two dead and 28 injured. Terrorists carried out the act in the holy month of Ramazan, during the time of Iftar on a Thursday, just two days before Eid-ul-Fitr. There could have been a religious blame game in India, but what about Pakistan?

In Pakistan, sectarian terrorism is not new but had subsided for some years now. In the recent past, attacks have been more focused on security forces and the blitz on a mosque in Rawalpindi could possibly be considered an assault on the army. However, the attack on Data Darbar makes a naked and blatant declaration of terror against a peaceful Muslim community that does not subscribe to Wahabiism, Salafiism or Qutbism. It has shaken up the largest Muslim sect in the country. The condemnations and protests from civil society and religious groups have been intense and in large numbers. The grief is deep and even if some groups had a bit of tolerance for the jihadis, it now seems to have gone.

More importantly, it has woken up the likes of Chotey Mian (CM) and the Punjab law minister. The protesters were shouting “Down with Shahbaz Sharif” and ridiculed the CM’s repeated vows to defeat terrorists. It is generally believed that the Punjab government has been soft on terrorists. Punjab’s high officials have been in a denial phase for a long time. To add insult to injury came the ridiculous statement ‘requesting’ terrorists to stay away from Punjab. Then came the shocking news of the provision of Rs 86 million from the provincial budget to Jamaat-ud-Dawa. Such appeasement did not help and led to a ‘slap in the face’ or a ‘stab into the heart of Lahore’ in the form of violent onslaughts on sacred places.

This could possibly mark the beginning of a new phase of terrorism. There are several reasons for believing this. First, it is a different type of terrorism that is directed towards peaceful practitioners of Islam by those whose beliefs are different and who are totally intolerant and exclusivist. This intolerance is not particularly directed towards Shias, Ahmedis or any other sect. It is an attack on all those who do not conform to the militants’ convoluted beliefs. Let us recall that followers of many religions including Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and others hold Hazrat Ali Hajvery in high esteem. Therefore, this is one reason that this phase challenges everyone in general and not just a limited segment of society. This attack also brings the two major religio-political parties into an intense conflict between them.

Second, this strike appears to be coming from a different epicentre. The previous phase of terrorism was launched primarily from South Waziristan. That is where most of the militant groups had gathered and planned their strategies. After the armed action against these groups, Waziristan has been losing its status as a safe haven for terrorists. There are several splinter groups like ‘Asian Tigers’ and ‘Qazi Force’ among others. If the previous phase could be traced to Laal Masjid, then this phase may be related to Data Darbar. However, both the phases seem to be very different in nature. Also, the new epicentre seems to be in Punjab (it might be Muridke or Raiwind specifically).

The difference between the two phases was the ostrich-like attitude adopted by the MMA government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa until they learnt that ‘negotiations’, ‘peace accords’, ‘settlements’ and appeasement had no value with terrorists. For the militants, these are only strategic moves to consolidate and attack. This time, the ‘ostrich’ was the Punjab government, which should have learnt from the fate of the MMA but it did not. After the shock of July 1, it probably has woken up now.

The only action that merits a small level of optimism is the recent announcement by the Punjab government that it will swoop down on 17 banned outfits including Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Jaish-e-Muhammad, Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan, Tehreek-e-Jafariya Pakistan, Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi, Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan, Khudamul Islam, Islami Tehreek Pakistan, Hizbut Tahrir, Jamiatul Ansar, Jamiatul Furqan, Kherun Nas International Trust, Islamic Student Movement, Balochistan Liberation Army and the Jamaat-ud-Dawa.

One can welcome this announcement if it is supported by sincere and determined action. The CM can wash off a great deal of criticism if he succeeds in bringing peace, law and order to the province and consequently help the whole nation.

There has been some pointing of fingers between the CM and Rehman Malik about the extent of negligence in the case under reference. It is a pointless and wasteful activity. They should stop this ambivalence in political relationships in the interest of a bigger cause — peace in the country. Both of these leaders represent major political parties and must have realised that their performance so far has been dismal and disappointing. I sincerely hope that this opportunity is not too late for them to learn from mistakes and to restore people’s faith in ‘democracy’ in Pakistan and its exponents.

Naeem Tahir is a culture and media management specialist, a researcher, author, director and actor