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Karachi blasts (II)
Pakistan, has become a theatre of operations for terrorists who are at war with the entire state of Pakistan.
KARACHI: The Bohra community undoubtedly is the most peaceful community in Karachi. It holds no political biases neither does it support any ethnic trends. If one were to ask what this community stands for ideologically, there could only be one plausible answer: peace and harmony. Yet, it has been attacked. Why? The twin bomb blasts near a Bohra community centre may have only one explanation. Pakistan, today, has become a theatre of operations for terrorists who are not at war with an opposing idea, ideology, institution or a community, but the entire state of Pakistan.
Have the billions of dollars that we spent on procuring military hardware and developing nuclear weapons provided safety and security to our people? The elite-formulated security policies only protect the interests of the ruling elite and the institutions they represent, not the interests of the common people. For the common citizens, these policies have brought only hunger, misery, and hopelessness. There has to be a realisation that we need to shift the emphasis of our security spending on guarding against internal threats, instead of spending billions of dollars on preparing for conventional warfare. The targeting of the Bohra community should be an eye-opener for the government. The state cannot allow terrorists to target communities at will.
Lt Col (retd) Muhammad Ali Ehsan
Published in The Express Tribune, September 20th, 2012.
Reader Comments (4)
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Very well said. I totally agree with you.
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While my heart goes out to all the victims and their families, please stop presenting the blasts as a part of some pseudo propoganda. I do not believe that you should use this platform to enrage more hatred and/or cause further violence.
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My association with the Bohra community has been most gratifying in many ways_intellectually,as human beings,as a business class and as people who are more than willing to be patient listeners.They never pedal either their religious beliefs or their views upon any one.So it was horrific to see first hand the community being made a target of these killings that have become so rampant now.To say that we are in a state of war would be an understatement.The fact is that as a nation,as a people,and as a state, Pakistan has surrendered most ignominiously to the lunatic religious fringe.The usual churning out of statements when these terrorists strike and cliched expressions like :the culprits will be brought to task,we condemn the attack,a hidden hand etc,impress or fool no one.In fact they act like salt on wounds for the bereaved families.Even the parties that claim to have a hold over Karachi have pathetically been sidelined because they refuse to take the monster head-on.Which country in the world (except perhaps the tiny African states in civil war torn countries) would shamelessly confess that there are areas within a city in which even the armed forces can’t enter.I am reminded of the famous lines of a Polish pastor during Hitler’s reign:
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out–
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out–
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out–
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me–and there was no one left to speak for me.
Recommend
My association with the Bohra community has been most gratifying in many ways___intellectually,as human beings,as a business class and as people who are more than willing to be patient listeners.They never pedal either their religious beliefs or their views upon any one.So it was horrific to see first hand the community being made a target of these killings that have become so rampant now.To say that we are in a state of war would be an understatement.The fact is that as a nation,as a people,and as a state, Pakistan has surrendered most ignominiously to the lunatic religious fringe.The usual churning out of statements when these terrorists strike and cliched expressions like :the culprits will be brought to task,we condemn the attack,a hidden hand etc,impress or fool no one.In fact they act like salt on wounds for the bereaved families.Even the parties that claim to have a hold over Karachi have pathetically been sidelined because they refuse to take the monster head-on.Which country in the world (except perhaps the tiny African states in civil war torn countries) would shamelessly confess that there are areas within a city in which even the armed forces can’t enter.I am reminded of the famous lines of a Polish pastor during Hitler’s reign:
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out–
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out–
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out–
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me–and there was no one left to speak for me.Recommend