Bid to trigger conflict

The killing of a religious scholar in Karachi last week proved that the apprehensions — being expressed by Prime Minister Imran Khan and others for quite some time regarding nefarious designs of the enemy to sow the seeds of sectarian discord in the country — were not baseless. Maulana Dr Adil Khan, the head of Jamia Farooqia, a well-known seminary in Karachi, was shot dead along with his driver in a targeted attack in the metropolis on Saturday. The ease with which the whole terrorist activity was carried out by three men riding on a single motorbike shows it was the handiwork of professional killers.

However, thanks to the sagacity of the religious leaders belonging to the various sects and the calm exercised by them in the wake of the killing of the prominent scholar, the enemy’s attempt to trigger sectarian conflict and disrupt tranquility in the country was foiled. The ulema must continue to preach restraint and enlighten their followers about the conspiracies being hatched against Pakistan so as to avoid sectarian disharmony and maintain the peace in the country that has been achieved after great sacrifices rendered by our armed forces as well as innocent civilians.

With the signs of peace in Afghanistan emerging, there are now expectations that one of the most potent threats to peace in Pakistan — i.e. from the Afghan-based terrorists — would be tackled in a better way in a peaceful Afghanistan. Thus peace in Afghanistan is not in favour of our archrival India which is pretty understandable to get active in Pakistan through its operatives to “foment unrest”, as also pointed out by Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa in his condemnation of the targeted killing of the Jamia Farooqia head. He also directed all-out support for civil administration to bring the criminals to justice, as probe to ascertain the identity and exact motive for the killing continues.

While the authorities concerned need to keep an eye on any suspicious activities, it’s time for the nation to stay united and not to fall for the enemy’s tricks, especially during these months of increased religious activities.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13^th, 2020.

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