news details |
|
|
| Pakistan: Treading Failure –I | | |
D. SUBA CHANDRAN
Two terrorist attacks in Lahore in the same month. The first one was a brazen attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team, in which a group of militants attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team, which was on its way to the Stadium. The militants killed more than eight security personnel in one of the busiest areas of Lahore, and worse, they kept firing and walked across to escape in the vehicles that were parked.
The second attack in Lahore took place on 30 March. A group of less than ten militants, dressed in police uniform entered the Police Training School at Manawan in Lahore, took 800 plus trainee policemen as hostage. An operation was launched to release the hostage, which lasted for more than eight hours, ending in the killing of four militants and few policemen.
Terrorist Attacks in Lahore: Fall of the Last Bastion?
Few important issues need to be underlined in the recent terrorist attacks in Lahore on the Sri Lankan team and later at the Police Training School at Manawan. First, the attack took place in Lahore, the capital of Punjab, which is considered as the most stable and secular province of Pakistan. Second, the attack was against cricket players, a game that has remained secular and attracts the attention of everyone inside Pakistan. Third, the last attack was, actually a bolder operation on the models of the terrorist attack in Mumbai in November 2008.
Lahore has been increasingly under terrorist attacks in the recent years, especially since the Lal Masjid fiasco. For long, the religious parties have been trying to spread their influence in Punjab, especially Lahore. Qazi Hussain Ahmed, leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami tried to find a foothold in Punjab. It led a crusade to ban the Basant, especially kite festival and prevent marathon race from being organized in Lahore, for both were considered un-Islamic. Thanks to the moderate and secular civil society in Lahore, Qazi’s efforts never succeeded. It was the secular court that could ban the kite flying, due to heavy injuries.
The critical question, that needs to be addressed here is: Is the relative ease in which the terrorists attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team in the middle of Lahore city and escaped with such an ease, signals a new beginning? Obviously, it is the success of this attack, that would have emboldened the terrorists to undertake the second attack on the Police Training School.
Though the Jhang district in Punjab is known for its sectarian violence and there have been many recruits from this province into the Taliban, Punjab has remained immune to terrorist attacks. The State, especially its ISI knew, that select areas of Punjab have become a fertile ground for sectarian violence between the Shias and Sunnis, and also a major catchment area for ‘jihad’ in J&K and Afghanistan.
Sectarian organizations such as the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) and jihadi organizations like the Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Toiba flourished in Punjab, thanks to the unofficial patronage of these organizations for narrow political and strategic reasons. From the days of Zia, SSP was allowed to grow to target the Shite population, while JeM and LeT were directly encouraged by the State, to carry out operations in J&K and mainland India. Later, especially the SSP and JeM started focussing on Pakistan’s western front, and started working with the Taliban and al Qaeda. The state, especially its intelligence agencies believed that since there organizations are fighting the Americans and Indians elsewhere, Pakistan, especially Punjab has nothing to lose. A myopic view, bound to backfire. It did and the chickens have now started coming back to roost.
Cricket: Clean Bowled in Pakistan?
Terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in March 2009, has larger implications for the future of cricket in Pakistan. In the last few years, many leading cricket teams have refused to play, citing security reasons. Some of the major countries that have cancelled to tour to Pakistan include Australia, New Zealand and the West Indies. England played recently, but did not agree to play in all venues; the team during its last visit, refused to play in Karachi. South Africa has to reschedule the programme. India, after confirming the tour early this year, cancelled the itinerary after the terrorist attack in Mumbai. Sri Lankan team, agreed to fill this gap, only to see its players miraculously escape a dastardly attack. Had it not been for the brave act of the driver of the Sri Lankan team bus, the attackers would have succeeded in making a colossal damage.
Cricket as a game, so far has remained outside the purview of terrorism or jihad. The game has remained secular. Danish Kaneria, the main spinner in the current team is a Hindu; Yousuf Youhana, though later embraced Islam for personal reasons, was a Christian when he joined the team. Despite some murmurs of increasing religious influence, cricket as a game in Pakistan has remained outside the purview of fundamentalism. Neither there have been attacks, nor any one dared to issue a fatwa that cricket is un-Islamic. Remember the burning of CD shops in Islamabad and elsewhere in Pakistan, for music and movies are considered as un-Islamic? Despite all tensions and problems, India played one day and test matches, like the rest of the world, in all venues.
The way in which the attacks have been carried out, completely pooh-poohs all notions of security. The tally at the end of 3 March 2009 in Lahore is, eight security personnel killed, six Sri Lankan players injured, but no casualty – absolutely whatsoever on the terrorists side. Some of the recent video footages clearly demonstrate the terrorists casually walking after the attack and riding in motor bikes and auto rickshaws. This is the level of security that the State could think of – to a team that has replaced other teams in the last minute, as they have been withdrawn due to security reasons. Callous and criminal abdication of security responsibility of the State.
Instead, a section within Pakistan has started talking about “hidden hand” and “foreign conspiracy” hinting that India is responsible for an attack, which has taken place in a city within an hour’s drive from Lashkar’s headquarters. Do India and the US (the other foreign hand) has the reach, investment, support base and more importantly, the political will, to carry out such an attack in Lahore? Clearly, this is an attack that could have been carried out either by the Lashkar or the al Qaeda. One is likely to see a political investigation, ending up in blaming the al Qaeda, than the Lashkar. If al Qaeda is blamed, Pakistan can get some sympathy and support from the US, that they are being targeted for helping the international community to fight the War on Terrorism. On the other hand, if the Lashkar is to be blamed, Pakistan will be at the receiving end, for it will vindicate what India has been telling.
The more immediate question for New Delhi is: What does the latest attack mean for India? Lahore is close to the Wagah border and India has direct bus services to this city from New Delhi and Amritsar. Increasing terrorist attacks in Lahore pose a direct threat to India, as it means, that Pakistan is unable to prevent the eastward march of fundamentalist organizations from Afghanistan. Clearly, the Indus has been breached. What are India’s options now? (To be Continued)
(Author is Deputy Director, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies and Consulting Editor, Epilogue)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
