Another bloody Friday

It has to be wondered just how hard the govt is trying when it comes to tackling the issue of sectarian armed groups

There can be no doubt that the bombing of Karbala Maula Imambargah in Shikarpur on January 30 was anything other than sectarian in nature. The blast happened during Friday prayers. The roof of the building has collapsed, such was the force of the blast and there are dozens dead and at least 50 injured — numbers that could rise in the coming hours. Hundreds of people rushed to the scene to pull out the dead and injured, and body parts littered the surrounding area. A senior police official has said that initial investigations point to this being a suicide blast but even that is uncertain at the time of writing. A bomb disposal team arrived at the site, though there are no reports of a secondary device. Army doctors and ambulances have been moved to the Pano Aqil garrison to help treat those who were wounded.

As has been demonstrated time after time, mosques, imambargahs and other places of worship are the softest of targets, and Fridays are when they are most likely to be crowded. Friday prayers in particular is a time of vulnerability when what security measures there are, are at their weakest. It is relatively easy to gain access and even a man in a hurry may not be stopped as it might be assumed he does not want to be late for prayer. As yet, no group has claimed responsibility for the Shikarpura carnage.

Given that the National Action Plan (NAP) specifically speaks of addressing the issue of sectarian outfits that operate seemingly with impunity across the country, it has to be wondered just how hard the government is trying when it comes to tackling the issue of sectarian armed groups. The NAP is fast coming to resemble a visit to the doctor where a diagnosis is given and a prescription written, but the patient is then dismissed without the treatment beginning. The prime minister runs the length and breadth of the country attending ‘crisis meetings’ — most recently on January 30 in Karachi — and action plans are chalked out, only to fade away with the prime minister’s receding protocol. Meetings do nothing. Stop meeting and start implementing.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st, 2015.

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