Blasts in Karachi

The twin, apparently suicide, blasts at one of Karachi’s most popular shrines, are a tragic wake-up call that the militants and terrorists can strike with impunity and at a location and time of their choosing. By all official accounts, it seems that both the blasts were carried out by suicide bombers. They occurred on Thursday evening, which is the busiest time of the week for the mazar, as it is thronged by devotees and visitors at that time. This would suggest that the attackers and those behind them knew what they were doing – and wanted to inflict maximum damage and mayhem. The road on which the mazar is situated is a very busy thoroughfare for the people of the area. In fact, the whole complex is a stone’s throw from one of the most protected areas of the city and the consulates of China, Russia, Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Indonesia, Iran, Kuwait, Italy as well as the local mission of the European Union are all within a one-kilometre radius. The city’s oldest and largest amusement park is situated behind the mazar and the president’s residence in the city is nearby.

Over a year ago, following reports of a security threat in Sindh metal detectors were installed at the shrine in Karachi but it remains to be seen whether checking on days such as Thursday, when large crowds are expected, was thorough. This is important because the shrine was thought to be on the target list of the militants since they have been attacking shrines for several months now. The first blast occurred, according to officials, as one of the suicide bombers was stopped from entering the complex. This blew apart the gates at the entrance and allowed another to enter undetected. The militants have been using this tactic with much lethal effect. While one can understand the government’s view that it is very difficult to completely prevent suicide attackers, this should not be used as a pretext to do nothing. Why can our intelligence agencies not penetrate terrorist networks and prevent such attacks? Why cannot the handlers and masterminds behind these attacks be traced and eliminated? Surely, we need answers to these questions.

Published in The Express Tribune , October 8^th, 2010.