The monsters among us

Zarb-e-Azb, in military terms, may be going well, in isolation it may be a magnifier for extremist thought, tendencies

The enormity of the crime was amplified by the innocence of the victims, with at least 10 women and seven children among the casualties so far. As many as 60 may have died and 110 are injured, some of whom will die of their wounds. The device that wreaked havoc at Wagah was a suicide bomb of 10-15kg and was laced with nails and ball-bearings to maximise the damage. The arms and legs of the person thought to be the bomber have been recovered. The location of the bombing was significant as well, with tensions running high between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control, and it was clearly calculated to exacerbate those tensions. There may well now be an adverse fallout on India-Pakistan relations as a result of this attack. There have been reports that intelligence agencies had shared information with the police about a possible attack, but it was clearly not taken seriously.

This was a target begging to be attacked, and it is a matter of wonder that it has not been struck before. Although the area is closely guarded and there are walk-through portals, it is a place where both military and civilian are in close proximity regularly. The attack was claimed by three possible culprits, all spin-offs from the fragmentation of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in recent months. It underlines yet again, the powerlessness of the state when it comes to crafting and implementing an alternative narrative to that of galloping extremism. And with the dreadful spectre of the Islamic State making its presence felt in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa through pamphlets, there is now a plethora of non-state actors who are well motivated, in many cases well trained and funded, and all bent on the overthrow of the state by violent means. Operation Zarb-e-Azb, in purely military terms, may be going well, but in isolation, it may be acting as a magnifier for extremist thoughts and tendencies. The operation has created a well of anger and resentment among certain elements that is not going to dissipate quickly. When you dispossess a million people and deprive them of their homes and livelihoods on an open-ended basis, the social compact between the people and the state disappears quickly. And extremism likes nothing better than pushing at an open door.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4^th, 2014.

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