Another day in paradise

Officially, 48 were killed, but if you ask the residents of Abbas Town, they say the number is in the hundreds. The television showed haunting images of shell-shocked faces trying to find their loved ones. As bodies were recovered, grief-stricken women fell to the ground and men beat their chests, crying hysterically. A father was told that he has lost two of his three young sons. Two small children were told that their mother and brother were gone forever. An elderly widow waited for her son to return, days after the attack. Of all the coffins raised, at least 20 were those of children. Where there were homes, now stands a bare skeleton of twisted metal and rubble. The government denounced the act of terrorism and announced monetary compensation for the affected families. Who says there is no value for human life in Pakistan?

It is not just Alamdar Road or Abbas Town; the whole country is doused in unspeakable grief and anguish over targeted attacks on its citizens. People’s lives have been torn to shreds all in a matter of seconds and we still await the state organs, including the government, army, law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies and the media to commit to a zero tolerance position against militancy. But sadly, what has ensued is a shameful finger-pointing contest among various state institutions and the federal and provincial governments.

An unabashed interior minister has blamed the Punjab government for patronising militant groups, such as the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), and deliberately not taking action against those terrorists whose names were provided to it. The Punjab government’s response has been to question why the onus should fall on it only and not the federal government. This is not only a weak statement, but also one that implicitly accepts that the charge against it is correct and that it indeed did not act upon the intelligence it was provided. The military and intelligence agencies, too, have long been criticised for fathering militant groups despite the destruction they have caused.

In a recent TV show, a victim of the Abbas Town tragedy asked Hamid Mir a very pertinent question: “Why do TV anchors and media persons invite heads of terrorist groups to their shows when their rightful place is behind bars?” Will any media group care to answer?

How do government officials, including then interior minister Rehman Malik, and intelligence agencies have the temerity to accept that they have information regarding attacks that have been planned and yet, fail to take any significant measures to avert them? Do we interpret this as criminal apathy or veiled acquiescence of the government and law enforcement agencies?

The single greatest reason for Pakistan’s inability to counter the spread of terrorism is the lack of political will to do so. It is time our politicians recognise that emotional sloganeering is simply not enough and that the era of cultivating generations of political loyalty by simply feeding people empty promises is over. Politicians must prove themselves worthy of being our leaders, rise above self-serving politics and steer the nation through these difficult times rather than finding cover under unholy alliances. To the military and its agencies, you have sworn allegiance to protect Pakistan and its people. Stand before the people and declare yourself as enemies of those who are enemies of the people of Pakistan. As for the media, we ask you to just this once, set aside the race for ratings and commit to taking a moral position and boycott all coverage of representatives of militant outfits. Do not allow them to use your resources to spread their message of hate and violence. To the judiciary and law enforcement agencies, it is up to you to ensure that there are no holes in the net with which these terrorists are hauled up. It breaks our courage to see terrorists being arrested and then set free on one pretext or the other.

Pakistan is not on the verge of unravelling; it is unravelling. The people of Pakistan beseech all state institutions and the media to respond to this crisis with a unified strategy and an unshakeable resolve to defeat militancy. It is now or never.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 21^st, 2013.