Red in tooth and claw

A 15-year-old bomber attacks a police van outside Data Darbar shrine

The month of Ramazan is barely upon us and there has already been a bloody terrorist strike in Lahore. The terrorists hit a police van deployed on security detail outside the shrine of Data Darbar. Senior police officials have claimed that the target was the police, as the attacker could have done significantly more damage had he exploded among people trying to enter the shrine but instead moved towards the police van. Initial evidence also suggests that the attacker was a 15-year-old-boy.

The attack should leave no doubt that terrorism is still a threat and that terrorists have no respect for Ramazan, which has traditionally been a ceasefire month for standing and irregular Muslim armies and militias. The fact that the attacker was just 15 also exposes a fatal flaw in security plans. After the attack, the IG noted that anyone approaching the shrine would have to show their identity cards. Even before the attack, it has been a common announced requirement around sensitive areas. But children – who don’t have ID cards and often any other identity documents – are usually exempt from this. Would such restrictions have done anything to stop a child bomber?

So is the solution to begin harassing children as well in the name of security? We like to comfort ourselves with the belief that a decrease in attacks is an improvement, but the bottom line is that any number of attacks in any number of cities is a failure. It is not a cliché, but a basic responsibility of the state to protect the lives of its citizens, not just tell them that they are safer. We keep being told that the security forces have broken the backs of terrorists, only to see their backs miraculously heal.

The fact of the matter is that the causes of terrorists still have popular support. People with past – and allegedly present – terrorist affiliations still hold elected office. This is a reflection of that same support. We have failed to change hearts and minds, and without concentrated efforts, we will have to continue trying to fool ourselves.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2019.

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