Pakistan bus attack raises alarms about extremists

By Naila Inayat

Last week's terrorist attack on a bus that killed scores of minority Shiites is the latest example of sectarian violence and divisions that have grown in Pakistan the past few years as militant groups gain ground.

Ratcheting up such attacks are part of a grand plan by militants to destabilize the country and increase their power, says retired lieutenant general Moinuddin Haider, Pakistan's former interior minister.

He said Wednesday's bus attack that killed 45 Ismaili Muslims in Karachi in southern Pakistan could be an attempt to illustrate that the government can't protect even low-profile Shiites.

"It has connotations of a proxy war," Haider said. "The sectarianism between Shiite vs. Sunnis is a serious problem."

Six gunmen stormed the bus, ordered the Ismailis to bow their heads and shot them dead, police said. It was unclear who was behind the assault.

Ismailis are a small share of the Shiites who comprise around 15% of the largely Muslim population in Pakistan.

The bus attack was the deadliest in Pakistan since December, when Taliban fighters killed 150 people, mostly young students, in an army-run school in Peshawar. It was the second terror attack on Ismailis in Pakistan since August 2013, when assailants threw hand grenades into two Ismaili prayer houses, killing two and injuring scores more.

There has been violence against other minorities, such as Christians and between Muslim sects in Pakistan, where al-Qaeda, the Taliban and possibly the Islamic State have been growing increasingly brazen in their quest to topple the government inIslamabad and impose harsh, Sunni-oriented rule.

Groups associated with the Islamic State and the Taliban both claimed responsibility for the bus attack. Pamphlets saying "Advent of the Islamic State" were found at the scene, saying the killings were in retaliation for attacks on Yemen and Iraq.

But Ejaz Haider, a national security editor at Pakistan's Capital TV, doubted the Islamic State pulled off the attack. He said the group's supporters might want the public to think the Islamic State is responsible to underscore the militants' credibility among radical Islamists, or someone else might be seeking to divert blame.

The pamphlets claiming to be from (Islamic State) could just be a red herring," Haider said. "They could be an attempt to mislead the investigative agencies. There is no Islamic State presence in Pakistan."

National security analyst Pervez Hoodbhoy said he is surprised the Ismailis haven't come under more attacks because Sunni radicals view them as a deviant cult. He also viewed the bus attack as a move to send a twisted message to the public that religious diversity begets violence.

"The Islamic State is riding the bandwagon of sectarian hatreds that are tearing apart the Muslim world," said Hoodbhoy, a professor at Forman Christian College in Lahore. "Its presence in Pakistan is unconfirmed, and claiming credit is probably a publicity stunt. But certainly there are plenty of other Sunni extremists who would like to see all Shiites disposed of."

Ismailis lamented how their quiet community has come under fire.

"Have you ever heard Ismailis taking up guns or being involved in any acts of terrorism?" asked Abullah Husain, an Ismaili student in Karachi. "But we were targeted. Being peaceful by no means will save you from the wrath of militancy."

He said the attack makes Ismailis feel insecure in Pakistan. "The targeted killing has not only shocked our entire community but has also forced us to rethink our future in this country," he said.

Haider said the government needs to respond forcefully and crack down on militants or else appear to lose control. "It seems there is no rule of law in one of the biggest metropolises in the world," he said.