A view of the damaged mosque after twin bomb attacks in the Baazdara area of Malakand region. PHOTO: AFP
The scourge of terror continues. Who knows when it will end, or how. Like Fridays before this, the Friday of May 17 proved to be a bloody one, with blasts at mosques targeting worshippers gathered there to offer prayers on the holiest day of the week. This time the area struck by the ruthless bombers who live among us was the Baz Darra village in the Malakand protected area, where remote controlled explosive devices were placed at two mosques close to each other in the village. The first explosion killed nine persons and injured at least 35 others. As panic and chaos spread through the area, a second blast occurred in a mosque in the same area, this time killing one elderly man. Authorities said most of those present at prayers at the time had gone off to help the victims of the first blast.
The scenes that played out were identical to what we have seen so many times before: hospitals filled with the injured, relatives grieving over the bodies of the dead, floors stained with blood and countless lives lost in a situation that has become too common in our country.
As we have seen before, it is clear too, that this attack was well planned and expertly executed. The militants behind them obviously know their business, and knew all to well what they needed to do in order to inflict maximum terror. This, after all, is their trade; it is what they specialise in, and it appears they intend to continue with this. The change in the political leadership obviously means nothing to them.
So far, all efforts to bring terrorism to any kind of halt have failed. It is obvious the security apparatus has failed. The problem is a gigantic one. It needs to be thought about from many dimensions and angles so that we can find a way of ending the wave of deaths that has continued now for more than a decade and wreaked havoc across our country. It is evident that, for now, the tragedy continues and as a result, no one anywhere can be certain of their safety, even when they are engaged in the peaceful act of worship.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 19th, 2013.
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First of all condolences to the fame lies of the bereaved and wish a speedy recovery to those injured in the mosque blasts. I hope PTI realizes that the terrorists are no one's friends. They may have attacked ANP because it was in power but unless these murderers are taken on head on, this dance of death will not stop.
What Imran Khan is going to talk and negotiate with these blood thirsty monsters, is to be seen. I doubt the lust of these charlatans can be satiated by IK or anyone else for that matter.
A very sensible editorial by the editors of ET. Unfortunately we have a history of surrendering to the terrorists. The terrorists have known our weakness that we surrender to the powerful that is why they have been killing Pakistanis by tens of thousands. The more brutal the terrorist become the sooner we are going to recognize them. Forget about the families of 60 thousands of their victims. It is a shame when one of ours becomes a victim we get upset and outraged but not when the others as many as 60 thousands are butchered, beheaded, maimed, kidnapped and bombed we feel the need to talk to the terrorists.