Pakistan: Sects in motion

Of late Punjab has witnessed some gruesome sectarian violence that provides the much needed reminder that Punjab is sitting on a sectarian powder keg. The killing of three Shias including an office bearer of the Shia Ulema Council and a prayer leader in two different Imambargahs at Gujranwala on November 8 before daybreak reveals once again the inability of the government to protect its citizens, especially in the month of Muharram. In the aftermath of Hakeemullah Mehsud’s death, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has pledged to carry out attacks across the country. What could have been better timing than to start their revenge orgy in Muharram. Taking the TTP lightly after what they have done to the country through their consistent and predictable behaviour can only be termed irresponsible. And if the government had considered small cities such as Gujranwala immune to terrorism because of their size or relevance, it has committed a double sin: one of ignoring the recent history of sectarian violence in relatively smaller cities of Punjab such as Bhakkar and Gujrat, and another of forgetting the arrest of a number of extremists from Gujranwala madrassas last month following the arrest of an al Qaeda operative from Punjab University. On the flip side, security in the bigger cites, since it has been stepped up, gives more reasons to the terrorists to aim for the smaller cities. This is no rocket science. For how long will this situation persist? We hear that new laws have been prepared to take on the culprits involved in terrorism. The reality however speaks a different language. We are as unprepared as we have been five years or ten years down the road from when terrorism began shaping up in this part of the world. The police have so far arrested nine suspects of the attack in Gujranwala, all belonging to Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), a group that has strong links to the TTP. A similar number of suspects have been arrested in Islamabad on a tip-off about an imminent attack in the capital city. This reactive mode of policing and intelligence has to be changed since it serves little or no purpose in preventing terrorism. This again is a reminder of our lackadaisical approach towards establishing a coordinated and all encompassing intelligence system. The miscreants at both the Imambargahs had conveniently sprayed bullets as there was no police in sight to protect the vulnerable victims. It is hard enough to find law enforcers during daytime on security duties, and hoping for them to be present before daybreak is perhaps wishful thinking. The prime minister and the president, down to various ministers, have as usual condemned the incident. There will, again as usual, be new statements of resolve on the part of the government to take the culprits to task, until a fresh wave of violence extracts another note of condemnation and a renewed promise to fight terrorism. This maddening circle is repeating itself without end. It is a simple equation, requiring perhaps repeated action to solve it, that the initial ten days of Muharram are inherently sensitive and a soft target for sectarian attacks. On top of this, considering one time of the day less dangerous than others is again reflective of the inefficient and ineffective anti-terrorism strategy. In fact Fajr prayers have often been used as the best time by the killers to target their prey easily; then why were these two Imambargahs not protected at that time? One is keen to know what the Punjab counter -terrorism setup is up to these days. One would also like to know about the follow up, if any, to the madrassas recently singled out by the Punjab government as most sensitive in regard to spreading sectarian hatred. And obviously the national security policy is still waiting to see the light of day. These are not trivial matters to be slept on as the government is doing so far. The sooner we get our act together on these. the better for the safety of the country.