Punjab: Ominous tidings

Punjab is rarely ever linked to incidents of terrorism. There is just that odd news about sectarian violence in isolated pockets, which is quite standard. Official reports linking south Punjab to terrorist havens surfaced in 2009. The then Punjab government scoffed at former interior minister Rehman Malik’s assertions that terrorist training camps and jihadist organisations were mushrooming unrestrained from Rahim Yar Khan to Kabirwala and Sahiwal. The provincial government chose to ignore the writing on the wall the same way it has ignored the region down south.

While reports of full-blown terrorism are still reserved for other provinces, the seeds of extremism in south Punjab are now bearing fruit. This month, at least 30 women were reported to have been stabbed after sunset while out shopping in Cheechawatni, Sahiwal district. Police are still unclear whether the attacks are being carried out by a lone attacker or a gang of vigilantes. Women have reported that a masked man approached them while they were out shopping and asked what they were doing out of their homes after sunset. Then he would stab them on the shoulder or face with a small knife strapped to his wrist. The stab wounds barely broke flesh and were not as serious as the nature of the crime.

The stage for such crimes has been built over the years by an indifferent government. South Punjab is characterised by relatively greater lack of development and disparity within the province. Feudal families hold sway over a large portion of the population. This area, once known for its peacenik population, is now hostage to an extremist movement that has permeated deep into the mindset of the average citizens.

Several girls returning from school in Cheechawatni were also reported to have been stabbed, presumably by the same gang/person. According to Reuters, women and girls in the district are now afraid to leave their homes. Attendance in girls’ schools has dropped and now fewer women are seen outside their homes after sunset. What is unfortunate here isn’t that the government has no leads on the perpetrator(s), but it’s that women are giving up a fundamental human right. The police offered a Rs200,000 reward for information and considered its work done. The provincial government continues to seemingly ignore the monsters lurking in the southern part of the province. It needs to realise that extremism has had sufficient time to develop roots and can only grow from here. The government must take measures to nip it swiftly and effectively.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 9^th, 2013.