We have to admit that there is a failure in the security measures we have taken thus far
LAHORE: Pakistan has been a victim of many terrorist attacks in history and has witnessed numerous distressful incidents like the Army Public School (APS) inPeshawar attack, back in 2014. Even before 2014, Pakistan has been victimised and been blamed for all terrorist attacks and activities happening in the world. Easter was an opportune day for terrorists to strike our Christian community at a park filled with men, women and children.
I highly condemn the attack but the purpose of my writing is to draw out the reason that this blast happened on the same day as Easter and what measures we should take to avoid such tragedies from happening in the future. Back in 2014, the Peshawar attack shocked and depressed us all, and yet, another dark incident occurred — meanwhile, our government is still lacking in terms of security.
Looking at the past, we are well aware that our smaller communities, in terms of size and representation, are made to pay the price over and over again — they have been targeted before in churches and now on the occasion of Easter.
We have to admit that there is a failure in the security measures we have taken thus far because if there weren’t any loopholes, the government would probably have been able to prevent people from suffering this umpteenth attack. Our leadership needed to have provided extra security, especially around celebrations like Easter or Christmas.
The moment Lahore was targeted, all cities across the country were on high alert. To the Punjab government: if you are unable to protect the people from a single attack in your specific area of governance, then how are you supposed to protect other cities?
Our leaders made a promise to protect the people after the Peshawar attack, but all we hear, are the same excuses and the same lack of security that caused the APS attack. The government must discontinue the blame game with other fellow countries and take responsibility for loopholes in the system.
Shafaq Khalid Rana
Published in The Express Tribune, March 31st, 2016.
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