In a nod to efficient police work of the kind we hardly get to witness here, a gang of six Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) terrorists have been apprehended in Lahore. It is being reported that these men have been involved in a number of high profile attacks on prominent members of civil society and the media, including last month’s attack on journalist Raza Rumi. That they have been captured will provide a sigh of relief but it is imperative to understand that this gang is only the tip of the iceberg when one considers the magnitude of the problem this country is up against.
The LeJ is a very extreme sectarian group, murderous in nature and prolific because of the nature and scale of attacks against the Shia community in Pakistan. It is the LeJ that was responsible for the catastrophic attacks against the Hazara community in Quetta last year, killing hundreds. It is the LeJ that regularly targets Iranian pilgrims when they cross the border into Balochistan. It is an organisation committed to the extermination of the Shia minority in Pakistan. This is a fact that has escaped no one but what has indeed flustered many is why nothing substantial has been done about it. The attack on Raza Rumi was a kill-two-birds-with-one-stone move: Raza is Shia and is also a journalist with liberal views, unafraid to call a spade a spade. If one looks at the list of people targeted by this group of six, it can be seen that the attacks have occurred over a couple of years.
It is encouraging that they have been arrested by nothing more than good old police work. However, as is the case with the law enforcement agencies in Pakistan, such spurts of success do not last long. With these six sectarian murderers in custody, the police must waste no time in apprehending more terrorists part of and affiliated with the LeJ network, which is spread far and wide. Troubling news is just coming in from Karachi that journalist Hamid Mir has been attacked in Karachi by a hail of gunfire. He is in the hospital and is recovering but the malaise has run deep and wide.
Whilst the LeJ has not claimed responsibility for this attack, one cannot discount that such a high profile strike has been perpetrated by them. Hamid Mir is high profile and it has been known that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan outsource their hits to outfits such as the LeJ. That could explain why some of the names found on the hitlist of the LeJ are Sunnis as well. It is a complete travesty that while the LeJ mastermind Malik Ishaque is in jail, the LeJ continues to function and flourish right under the noses of the authorities. This must not be allowed to continue. Terrorism in urban areas, such as the kind the LeJ is known for carrying out, can only be scotched by the efficiency and competence of the police, which must not cower in the face of this threat. Routine success can rout out these killers, nothing less. The entrails of the LeJ network must be picked up and steadily dissected to get to the root of the menace. The LeJ poses a threat not just to Shias but to any moderate voice of sanity out there as has been demonstrated by the many attacks on the media. Such operations must not be limited to Punjab but must be coordinated across the country, especially in Karachi where target killing is alive and well.
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