Sehwan shrine blast may push Pakistan to step up assault against India
The deadly blasts of February 16 in the Shia shrine of the renowned Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan, Sindh, killed nearly 100 devotees and have rocked Pakistan as perhaps never before.
Shias and non-Sunnis have been the target of terror violence more as a routine than exception. What's significant in the Sehwan terror attack is the Islamic State (IS) taking responsibility for it, leaving its footprint on the holy site with the loud and clear message that the IS is very much at Pakistan's doorstep and can cause devastation of grave magnitude in the future as well.
The immediate impact of the terror act has been to rattle the Pakistani military and security machinery, exposing their hollow intelligence system and unpreparedness to deal with any terror-linked exigency and measures to safeguard minority Shia interests.
This is evident by the instantaneous action of the security forces in killing more than 100 terror suspects. Eliminating such a large number of "terrorists" in less than 24 hours of the incident shows the response was possibly out of panic or a knee-jerk attempt to instill confidence among the public that the country's forces have avenged the act.
However, the question that remains unanswered is that if the killed terror suspects were already around and the list was available, then why weren't they picked up or eliminated earlier to pre-empt the mayhem? It also creates the doubt that if so many suspects have been killed, some innocent lives must have been sacrificed as well.
The debate will continue to rage but at this very moment, the Pakistan polity and establishment are being questioned about the existence of an anti-terror structure to deal with the terrorism menace. Prominent daily Dawn, in an editorial on February 18, asks why the recent bombings were allowed to happen? Whether they were deliberately coordinated or opportunistically coincidental. This is indeed a strong indictment.
Questions are also being raised about the existence of the national action plan. It's being described as something of a "running joke". People are also demanding answers from the Nawaz Sharif government as the country has been waiting impatiently for long for an end to incidents of terror. All assurances and cosmetic operations hitherto launched by the military and security forces have unfortunately yielded nothing except killings, and more killings.
The Pakistan military has started pointing its fingers towards Afghanistan-based terror groups for striking at Pakistani targets. According to insiders who wish to remain anonymous, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) is under the lens as it's considered the epicentre of terrorism.
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| The IS took responsibility for the attack at the shrine. (Photo: Reuters) |
It's well known that terror outfits like the al-Qaeda, Haqqani network, the Taliban and their affiliates are sheltered here.
FATA is severely backward and there doesn't seem to be any visible move by Islamabad to improve the conditions of the region. Out of an estimated population of nearly 6 million, only 16 per cent is literate and, lamentably, only less than 1 per cent of women are literate.
The backward lot needs uplift in education and development, as any progressive measure to ameliorate their living conditions may see a reduction in terror cases. Further, there are umpteen instances of human rights violations in the region.
Instead of strengthening human rights safeguards, the Pakistan government is applying laws, including the Actions (in Aid of Civil Power) Regulations, that are not germane and counterproductive. Any worthwhile progress in FATA may help end the production of wholesale terror.
In all likelihood, Pakistan will now mount pressure on Afghanistan to hit out at terrorists whom the former suspects to be masterminding the terror attacks.
Pakistani suspicion also stems from the fact that Afghanistan is getting close to India to jointly combat terror. The two nations' growing ties are an eyesore for Pakistan and it will do anything to wean one neighbour away from the other. This needs a close watch. Indian facilities in Afghanistan may be vulnerable due to the misplaced notion of quid pro quo.
Being pushed against the wall by a slew of terror attacks, the most recent ones occurring in Lahore and Sehwan, the Pakistani ISI and military may embark upon a blueprint to pinprick India by intensifying subversive actions in Kashmir. The move may also help Pakistan to divert public attention from the real issues the country is afflicted with.
With the IS calling the shots, it would appear advisable to confront the dreaded terror outfit with all military might and a concrete plan, else its tentacles may effectively spread to other parts of the country with lethal consequences.