3 suicide bombers in Lahore kill 35, wound 175 at Sufi shrine

Status
Not open for further replies.

Singh

Phat Cat
Super Mod
Joined
Feb 23, 2009
Messages
20,311
Likes
8,403
Country flag
LAHORE: At least two suicide bombers attacked a popular shrine in Lahore late Thursday night, killing 35 people and wounding 175 others, the city's top official said.

The attackers struck as thousands of people were visiting the Data Darbar shrine, where a famous Sufi saint is buried.

The first suicide bomber detonated his explosives in a large underground room where visitors sleep and wash themselves before praying, said Khusro Pervez, the top government official in Lahore.

Minutes later, a second bomber detonated his explosives in a large yard upstairs as people tried to flee the first attack, he said.

Police are still investigating the source of a third blast that followed the two suicide bombers.

At least 25 of those wounded in the attacks are in critical condition, said Pervez. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombings.

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect...ve+injured+in+three+lahore+explosions+--bi-05
 

Singh

Phat Cat
Super Mod
Joined
Feb 23, 2009
Messages
20,311
Likes
8,403
Country flag
In a related development, Lahore Police had a week back confiscated huge, and by huge I mean really huge, arms cache from the same group which had targeted Lahore's Ahmadi Mosque earlier. There is speculation that this a revenge attack is by the same group. There are also rumours that this group is the notorious LeJ/SSP group whcih has close links with PML N/Nawaz Sharif and receives patronage of the Pakistani Security establishment. They have also been involved in the recent spat of Shia murders all over Pak and the Anti-Christian rios.
 

Daredevil

On Vacation!
Super Mod
Joined
Apr 5, 2009
Messages
11,615
Likes
5,772
This is a sunni Vs Shia, Ahmadi, Sufi, Christian, Hindu battle. The sunnis are trying to purify pakistan by eliminating other sections of the society. Irony is that, Pakistan formed in the name of protecting muslims of Indian sub-continent from majority Hindus and actually ending up in killing more muslims than any country in the sub-continent.
 

ajtr

Tihar Jail
Banned
Joined
Oct 2, 2009
Messages
12,038
Likes
723
feel like it was an attack targeting Shias

DATA GANJ BAKHSH SHRINE IN LAHORE
Abul Hassan Ali Ibn Usman al-Jullabi al-Hajweri al-Ghaznawi or Abul Hassan Ali Hajweri (Arabic: علی بن عثمان الجلابی الهجویری الغزنوی ) (sometimes spelled Hujwiri), also known as Data Ganj Bakhsh (Persian/Urdu: داتا گنج بخش ) or Data Sahib, was a Persian Sufi and scholar during the 11th century. He significantly contributed to the spreading of Islam in South Asia. He was born in Ghazna (in present day Afghanistan) in the beginning of Ghaznavids period and died in Lahore (in present day Punjab, Pakistan) in 1077 CE. His most famous work is Kashf al-Mahjub ("Unveiling the Veiled") written in Persian language. The work debates Sufi doctrines of the past. Hujwiri said that individuals should not claim to have attained "marifat" or gnosis because it meant that one was prideful. True understanding of God should be a silent understanding.
 

Singh

Phat Cat
Super Mod
Joined
Feb 23, 2009
Messages
20,311
Likes
8,403
Country flag
^^ by attacking a Sufi Shrine ?

Btw massive Shia killings has been taking place in South Pakistan, and now even the Shias are retaliating by killing some Sunnis.
 

ajtr

Tihar Jail
Banned
Joined
Oct 2, 2009
Messages
12,038
Likes
723
^^ well Wahabi sunnis do detest sufi shrines and any kind of grave worshiping.

http://criticalppp.com/archives/17285

Extremist Deobandis of the Sipah-e-Sahaba have once again attacked the Data Di Nagri (Data's city), Lahore. This time their target was the sacred shrine of Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh Ali Hajveri, a Persian Sufi and scholar during the 11th century who significantly contributed to the spreading of Islam in South Asia.

According to puritanical beliefs of extremist Deobandis and Wahhabis of the Sipah-e-Sahaba and Taliban, ordinary Sunni Muslims of the Barelvi belief are considered as polytheists (mushrik) because of their devotion to a peace loving Sufi (mystic) tradition of Islam. Therefore, narrow minded supporters of the Taliban and Sipah-e-Sahaba consider Barelvi / Sufi Muslims as grave worshippers and inferior Muslims.

In the past, the Taliban / Sipah-e-Sahaba alliance have attacked a number of shrines in various parts of Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA.
 

ajtr

Tihar Jail
Banned
Joined
Oct 2, 2009
Messages
12,038
Likes
723
http://geo.tv/7-2-2010/67695.htm
Data Darbar has five doors out of which four were closed. The only door kept open had a body scanner installed with it and it is still unknown how the bombers made their way inside the shrine.
There were a large number of devotees at shrine due to Thursday while 'Langer' was happening at the time of explosions.
They chose target judiciously as above report point out.thing to note is how Suicide bombers made past the body scanner without being detected??Were they allowed to go in with the knowledge of the people guarding the shrine ?
 

ajtr

Tihar Jail
Banned
Joined
Oct 2, 2009
Messages
12,038
Likes
723
Pakistanis blame US after shrine attack in Lahore


LAHORE: Pakistanis lashed out Friday at the US, blaming its alliance with their government and its presence in Afghanistan for spurring two suicide bombers to kill 41 people at the country's most important shrine.

The reactions showed the challenge facing Washington and the Pakistani government when it comes to rallying public support against the extremism that has scarred the South Asian nation, even after an audacious attack.

On Friday, few Pakistanis interviewed saw militants at the root of the problem.


''America is killing Muslims in Afghanistan and in our tribal areas (with missile strikes), and militants are attacking Pakistan to express anger against the government for supporting America,'' said Zahid Umar, 25, who frequently visits the shrine.

Pakistanis are suffering because of American policies and aggression in the region, said Mohammed Asif, 34, who runs an auto workshop in Lahore. He and others said the attacks would end if the US would pull out of Afghanistan.

Washington ''is encouraging Indians and Jews to carry out attacks'' in Pakistan, said Arifa Moen, 32, a teacher in the central city of Multan.

Pakistani officials condemned the bombings, using language they have frequently used to try to convince the population that the fight against militancy is not one they can ignore.

''Those who still pretend that we are not a nation at war are complicit in these deaths,'' said Farahnaz Ispahani, a spokeswoman for Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

The US Embassy issued a statement Friday condemning the attack and saying it ''demonstrates the terrorists' blatant disregard for the lives of the Pakistani people and the future of this country.''

The targeted shrine is that of Data Ganj Bakhsh Hajveri, who lived hundreds of years ago and traveled throughout the region spreading a message of peace and love. He eventually settled in the Lahore area, and his shrine is the most revered and most popular of Sufi shrines in the nation.

Some recent attacks in Punjab have been blamed on the ''Punjabi Taliban.'' The group is a relatively new network of al-Qaida-linked militants who have split off from other local insurgent groups but also has ties to the Pakistani Taliban, which has its bases in the northwest tribal regions.

The suicide bombings have fueled anger against Pakistan's weak police forces, who appear helpless to stop the killings. In the hours after Thursday's bombings, demonstrators gathered outside the shrine to protest the security lapse, only to be dispersed after police fired into the air and threw rocks at them.

Senior Lahore government official Khusro Pervez said recent intelligence alerts about possible attacks lacked details.

''The intelligence agencies alerted us that terrorists could target prominent places, shrines and mosques in Lahore. They mentioned names of major places as a possible target, but no specific information was available to us,'' he said. – AP
 

Singh

Phat Cat
Super Mod
Joined
Feb 23, 2009
Messages
20,311
Likes
8,403
Country flag
Pakistanis blame US after shrine attack in Lahore


LAHORE: Pakistanis lashed out Friday at the US, blaming its alliance with their government and its presence in Afghanistan for spurring two suicide bombers to kill 41 people at the country's most important shrine.

The reactions showed the challenge facing Washington and the Pakistani government when it comes to rallying public support against the extremism that has scarred the South Asian nation, even after an audacious attack.

On Friday, few Pakistanis interviewed saw militants at the root of the problem.


''America is killing Muslims in Afghanistan and in our tribal areas (with missile strikes), and militants are attacking Pakistan to express anger against the government for supporting America,'' said Zahid Umar, 25, who frequently visits the shrine.

Pakistanis are suffering because of American policies and aggression in the region, said Mohammed Asif, 34, who runs an auto workshop in Lahore. He and others said the attacks would end if the US would pull out of Afghanistan.

Washington ''is encouraging Indians and Jews to carry out attacks'' in Pakistan, said Arifa Moen, 32, a teacher in the central city of Multan.

Pakistani officials condemned the bombings, using language they have frequently used to try to convince the population that the fight against militancy is not one they can ignore.

''Those who still pretend that we are not a nation at war are complicit in these deaths,'' said Farahnaz Ispahani, a spokeswoman for Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

The US Embassy issued a statement Friday condemning the attack and saying it ''demonstrates the terrorists' blatant disregard for the lives of the Pakistani people and the future of this country.''

The targeted shrine is that of Data Ganj Bakhsh Hajveri, who lived hundreds of years ago and traveled throughout the region spreading a message of peace and love. He eventually settled in the Lahore area, and his shrine is the most revered and most popular of Sufi shrines in the nation.

Some recent attacks in Punjab have been blamed on the ''Punjabi Taliban.'' The group is a relatively new network of al-Qaida-linked militants who have split off from other local insurgent groups but also has ties to the Pakistani Taliban, which has its bases in the northwest tribal regions.

The suicide bombings have fueled anger against Pakistan's weak police forces, who appear helpless to stop the killings. In the hours after Thursday's bombings, demonstrators gathered outside the shrine to protest the security lapse, only to be dispersed after police fired into the air and threw rocks at them.

Senior Lahore government official Khusro Pervez said recent intelligence alerts about possible attacks lacked details.

''The intelligence agencies alerted us that terrorists could target prominent places, shrines and mosques in Lahore. They mentioned names of major places as a possible target, but no specific information was available to us,'' he said. – AP

Dawn forgot to add the Ahmadi bit from the AP report but invented the Indian angle. :angry_10:

Pakistanis blame US after shrine attack kills 42

LAHORE, Pakistan — A pair of suicide bombings that killed 42 at a popular Sufi shrine in Pakistan's east stirred outrage among many in this terror-scarred nation Friday. Several blamed the U.S. presence in Afghanistan for spurring the attacks, while some faulted a minority sect that itself was viciously targeted just weeks before.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Islamist extremist groups consider Sufism to be heretical, and they have previously struck non-Sunni sects.

Still, several Pakistanis interviewed Friday said the real root of the problem was the U.S. presence in Afghanistan and its missile strikes against militants in Pakistan's tribal regions. "America is killing Muslims in Afghanistan and in our tribal areas, and militants are attacking Pakistan to express anger against the government for supporting America," said Zahid Umar, 25, who frequently visits the shrine. Pakistanis are suffering because of American policies and aggression in the region, said Mohammed Asif, 34, who runs an auto workshop in Lahore. He and others said the attacks would end if the U.S. would pull out of Afghanistan.

Several others interviewed blamed the Ahmadis, a minority sect that has long faced discrimination in Pakistan. On May 28 in Lahore, gunmen and a suicide squad targeted two Ahmadi mosques, massacring at least 93 people. "I think the Ahmadis were behind the attack" on the Sufi shrine, said Lahore resident Mohammad Amir, accusing the minority sect of seeking revenge. He offered no evidence to back up his claim.


http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hkiMxbHNH0BqgpWA2ZG6VD6wVTmAD9GMO7O80
 

Singh

Phat Cat
Super Mod
Joined
Feb 23, 2009
Messages
20,311
Likes
8,403
Country flag
1 bomber identified :- 20yr old Rafiq alias Usman, from a village in Lahore precinct itself. Unbelievable Punjabi Suicide Bombers ! and that too striking their own city !
 

ajtr

Tihar Jail
Banned
Joined
Oct 2, 2009
Messages
12,038
Likes
723
Lahore Bombings and the Future of Pakistan
Violence in the Punjab strikes at the very heart of the national consciousness. One can meaningfully speak of "Pakistan" and separate Balochistan, or talk about North Waziristan as not really part of Pakistan. But "Pakistan" without the Punjab is meaningless.
That may be one reason the national government has been reluctant to recognize the fact that the the Punjab is now the base for an array of terrorist groups. Another
reason may be the fact that the Punjab has also historically been the home to extremist groups operating in Kashmir, with the tacit or direct support of the national government. As Ahmed Rashid explains, to a great extent, the rise in Punjabi terrorism represents a resurgence of these groups -- a particularly brutal case of chickens coming home to roost. (For other commentary, go here and here.
Which brings us to the far more disturbing element of the story. In may 2009, when Tehrik-i-Taliaban claimed credit for a suicide attack i Lahore that killed 26 people, security personnel responded by insisting that the attackers had come from Waziristan, since the group "does not have an organizational structure" in Punjab. But denial is the least of the worries. Over the past year, the provincial government of Punjab has not only demonstrated reluctance to crack down on extremist groups, it has at times given indications of encouraging them
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/howard-schweber/lahore-bombings-and-the-f_b_633345.html
 

Singh

Phat Cat
Super Mod
Joined
Feb 23, 2009
Messages
20,311
Likes
8,403
Country flag
Also pertinent to note that Nawaz Shari, though an Islamist, had shunned SSP/LeJ but when SSP threatened to send him to the 72 houris the scared Punjab (Pakistan) tiger (pussy) went and allied with them.
 

ajtr

Tihar Jail
Banned
Joined
Oct 2, 2009
Messages
12,038
Likes
723
'No Muslim can think of attacking Data Darbar'


By Online
July 02, 2010


Interior Minister Rehman Malik condemned the attack on Data Darbar.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Friday condemned the attack on Data Darbar, saying that no Muslim could even think of attacking the shrine.

Speaking at an inaugural ceremony of a police station, Malik said that Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LJ), Sipah-e-Sahaba (SS) along with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Al-Qaida were working to destabilise Pakistan.

He said that the federal government had already hinted the provincial governments that after Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa the terrorists would target Punjab and Sindh and that law enforcement agencies and police are on high alert.

IG Islamabad, Syed Kalim Imam and SSP Islamabad, Tahir Alam welcomed the Interior Minister and presented him their recommendations for the improvement of police performance.

Earlier the minister visited the house of martyred police personnel Shamshad Khan and gave the cheque of Rs0.5 million to his widow.
 

DaRk WaVe

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2009
Messages
809
Likes
97
^^^^

Yeah Muslims are all innocent :angry_10: :angry_10: :angry_10:

MALIK MUST RESIGN FOR HIS INCOMPETENCE & IDIOTIC BEHAVIOR
 

ajtr

Tihar Jail
Banned
Joined
Oct 2, 2009
Messages
12,038
Likes
723
DATA DARBAR BLASTS:pAKISTAN IS IMPLODING, SAY SHOCKED PAKISTANIS

B.RAMAN

The death of 40 worshippers in twin suicide blasts in a highly venerated sufi shrine of Lahore popularly known as Data Darbar on the night of July 1,2010 has outraged many Pakistanis, who have started wondering whether their Government has lost control over terrorists of its own creation, whether Pakistan is imploding due to religious hatred and violence. Annexed are some of the comments taken from the web site of an organisation called All Things Pakistan (http://pakistaniat.com/2010/07/01/data-darbar-blast/ ).

2.Thursday is the congregation day in the shrine when the maximum number of worshippers gather at night (jumaraat). The shrine is considered sacred not only by all Muslims----Shias, Sunnis and Ahmadias--- but also by Hindus . In fact, before Pakistan was born in 1947 a large number of Hindus from all over India used to visit the shrine.

3.The shrine was, in fact, electrified by a Hindu landlord living near the shrine in gratitude for the recovery of his sons from a severe attack of flu. Doctors had given up hopes for their recovery. The landlord believed that it was the saint in whose honour the shrine had been built, who came to his house at night and touched his sons who were in their deathbed. They recovered the next day.

4.Data Darbar is one of the oldest Muslim shrines in the subcontinent. It houses the remains of a Sufi saint, Abul Hassan Ali Hajvery. He was of Persian origin and was born in the 11th century in Ghazni, Afghanistan. From there he migrated to Iraq and spent the last years of his life in Lahore where he died and is buried.

5.No organisation has so far claimed responsibility for the suicide blasts, but the needle of suspicion points to its probably being an act of reprisal against the Pakistan Government by the Jundullah of Iranian Balochistan and the anti-Shia and anti-Iran Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LEJ) of Pakistan in retaliation for the suspected collaboration of Pakistan with Iran in the arrest of Abdolmalek Rigi , the Amir of the Jundullah, who was captured by the Iranian intelligence as he was flying to Kyrgyzstan from Dubai and executed last month after a short trial.

6.The "Dawn" of Karachi has reported as follows on the suicide blasts:

"In the first terrorist attack of its kind in the Punjab capital, two alleged suicide bombers blew themselves up at the Data Ganj Bakhsh shrine on Thursday night, killing at least 40 people and injuring 170 others. The first explosion took place in the basement reserved for ablution and the second in front of the shrine's main building where a large number of people from across the province gather for worship on Thursdays.

" At first, police announced that some crackers had exploded near the shrine. The two bombers entered the shrine and exploded themselves three minutes apart. Surveillance cameras, walkthrough gates and metal detectors turned out to be ineffective. Around 100 volunteers and several policemen were present in and around the shrine, searching visitors thoroughly.

"Senior Superintendent of Police (Operations) Chaudhry Shafiq Ahmad told Dawn that two suicide attacks had been carried out and investigators had found the bombers' skulls and limbs. He said ball-bearings and other material used in the blasts had also been collected. Lahore Commissioner Khusro Pervaiz Bakhtiar told journalists at the spot that the bombers had blown themselves up during a large congregation. In reply to a question about involvement of a foreign hand in the attack, he said the strike was a horrible conspiracy but "our own people become instruments in the hands of others".

" The official said an investigation had been launched about the breach in security measures. According to witnesses, the explosions were so powerful that a large number of people fell down and several of them were injured in a stampede. The shrine's administration announced seconds after the first blast that a generator had exploded in the basement and they might continue their activities. The bomb disposal squad estimated that 10-15kgs of explosives had been used in each suicide jacket.

" Ambulances of Rescue 1122 and the Edhi Foundation took the bodies and injured people to hospitals. According to a devotee, two gates on the north and south side of the shrine, which usually remain closed, were open on Thursday. He suspected that the bombers had entered through those gates. Scores of enraged people gathered outside the shrine and protested against terror attacks. They also damaged public and private property. There were reports that a cracker was exploded before the suicide blasts to create a panic.

"Police evacuated Data Darbar to collect evidence and carry out rescue work. All commercial and residential buildings adjoining the shrine were also searched for suspects. Following the blasts, an extensive crackdown was launched across the city and several people were detained for interrogation. A suspect was also taken into custody near the Darbar. Rumours of terror attacks on other shrines in the city panicked devotees and police also launched a search operation there. Security was beefed up in and around all shrines and religious places." (2-7-10)

( The writer is Additional Secretarty( retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai, and Associate of the Chennai Centre For China Studies. E-mail: [email protected] )


ANNEXURE

( COMMENTS FROM THE PAKISTANI WEB SITE MENTIONED IN THE FIRST PARA)

"That Lahore's single most iconic and revered location has been attacked - and on a jumaraat, which many consider to be sacred - reeks with symbolism and speaks volumes about the depth of hatred that these murderers have for all things Pakistan. Yes, I take this personally. Just as I have taken every murder of innocent Pakistanis anywhere in Pakistan, personally. Anyone who loves Lahore cannot hear of this and not have a shiver go down the spine; as it went mine. But that shiver is now a nearly daily occurrence. Whatever the symbolism of Data Sahib may be, it is paled by the outrage at the murder - yet again - of innocent people: the begunah, the masoom!

I would like to find the words to express that outrage, to express what Data Darbar means to so many, to describe the pain that pounds me once again as it has each time these murderers have hit Pakistanis anywhere. I would like to do that but - quite literally - my hands are trembling, my eyes have swelled up, and that shiver up my spine has gripped my entire body. Maybe later I will find the words to say what I need to say, but right now I ponder only on the darkness that resides in the hearts of the men who commit these acts, those who plan them, and those who choose to justify them.

Eidee Man says:
July 1st, 2010 10:49 pm

It is often said that nations are not destroyed by outsiders; they implode. If the fact that this attack happened on a religious gathering doesn't cause a national outrage against the terrorist groups, then I really don't see how our society can survive.

ATP Administrator says:
July 1st, 2010 10:43 pm

Some comments from the ATP Facebook Page:

- "How inhuman these cursed Taliban are. They kill Muslims everywhere they find us."
- "That was not done by Talibans, Its for Sure Blackwaters, American backed terrorist organization, and this bloody Govt. of Zardari is allied with it.
Can't you ever think all these events happen within Lahore, so neatly, that non of our so called ISI, CIA or Punjab police can even trace their back. Talibans can never be so organised and so trained"¦.
No one get captured, because these people are safely transported into Lahore by Federal Govt. and they most probably reside in Balawal house or Governor house Lahore"¦
Google Sirilankan team attack in Lahore you would get some pretty fine articles stating that attackers went all the way till Bilawal house In model town Lahore and then disappeared"¦.. If your president can kill his wife for money, then who are ordinary people not to be killed for the sake of money"¦"¦"
- "i dnt agre wid u all that was a revnge by the qadiani.s"¦"¦"¦"
- "[above comments] an excellent example of "Parha Likha Jahil"."
- "it is done by Pakistani talibans which are created by CIA and RAW to give a bad name to Afghani talibans.. Pakistani talibans have nothing to do with Islam.. they are non religious people who are working for CIA and RAW and our poor puppet government is doing nothing about it.. people are dying due to poverty and inflation and our government is still fighting to gain power over judiciary..
Long live PAK Army and Intelligence.. and Long Live Pakistan"

- "For Sure it was not done by Qadiani, they were already under greaf"¦"
- "being muslim is a distant thing, wahabis and taliban are not even human. The extremist version of sunni islam has gotten out of hand and we need to start making amends straight away. wahabism is zaleelism. it will drag us down into oblivion."
- "There is but only ONE solution to all the violence in Pakistan - declare it a secular state, ban all the religious parties (political or non-political), ban all the public display of any religion .. and change the education to secular thoughts .. otherwise be prepared to live in 7th century"
- ""Taliban can never be so organised or trained"..Doesnt take much organisation to use children as bombs..All you need is a good deal of brainwashing which the taliban and taliban loving madrassas r extremely good at. There might be a hidden hand but taliban is not an innocent lot. We should learn to recognize the enemy within us"¦"
- "They say never happened in 800 years ,,, and i am sure its a foreign hand in it ,, dumbo security"
- "and the typical rhetoric goes on - CIA, RAW, Musad, Hindu Jewish lobby, Zardari, Qadiani .. as many fingers as many directions .. cant you all open your eyes and see it is the militant religious zealots who are doing all this .. and the only way to delete the word "Islamic republic" from Pakistan and start to live in the 21st century"
- "My blood boils at all the idiots and traitors who come to defend the Taliban who are the enemies of Pakistan. ALll the people who are defending the Taliban and giving stupid conspiracy theories, how many Pakistanis do you want to kill? Why do you hate Muslims? I say anyone defending the Taliban and these killers or trying to distract attention by stupid theories about foreign hands etc., they are all traitors and enemies of Pakistan themselves because they are supporting the killers of Pakistan.
PAKISTAN ZINDABAD."

Muhammad Usman Ghani says:
July 1st, 2010 10:15 pm

The event makes one speechless but more speechless I get over the conspiracy theorists comments we will face over this issue in days to come.

Praful Shah says:
July 1st, 2010 10:02 pm

Looking the photos, reading the news makes me angry as well as sad. These monsters were created and nurtured to kill Indians, especially Hindus. These were Pakistan army's additional wing with blessing from Mr. Nawaz Sharif & Mrs. Bhutto. Now the chickens are coming home to roost.
Sadly, neither Pakistanis politicians nor Pakistani army (ISI) does not give a damn. If they stop sheltering these sobs, the war will be over in very short time.
What scares me most if they attack US as they did in 2001, I do not think US and The West will take lightly. It is matter of time they will have access to Pakistani Nukes. Than what?
God only can help. ( 2-7-10)
 

ajtr

Tihar Jail
Banned
Joined
Oct 2, 2009
Messages
12,038
Likes
723
Terrorists and their apologists —Imtiaz Alam


The strategy that served the purpose of forcing the former Soviet Union to leave Afghanistan was foolishly perpetuated to serve the narrowly defined designs of our hawkish security structures on both the eastern and western fronts

Now the holiest shrine of the most revered saint Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh in the heart of Lahore has been sacrilegiously bombed by the ideologically motivated terrorists of Pakistani origin. This is not a lone and unimagined ghastly act, as some people in Punjab may assume, but a continuation of a mad drive against all spiritual, cultural, democratic and material values by those who out of their megalomaniac and barbaric misconception of Islam are bent upon pushing Pakistan and the Muslim world into the bloody degeneration of a contemporary inquisition. Everyday terrorist assaults on the innocent people by these self-appointed warriors of (anti-)Islam warrant an unambiguous and resolute collective response at the ideological, social, political and military levels.

Yet there are those apologists of terrorism, and they are plenty, who shamelessly and hypocritically shift the blame on to some "foreign hand" or somebody who is "alien to Islam". Out of their own ideological perversion and hatred for the west and western civilisation and/or India, they are not ready to accept it as the handiwork of a Muslim or Pakistani. They irrationally find lame excuses and concoct cover-ups for the jihadis by citing the reaction to the numerous injustices committed by the west or infidels against the Muslim world without realising the fact that they are only eulogising a suicidal course at the expense of their own country and the Muslim world. The most convenient way for the incompetent or compromised investigating agencies and a section of the media wired to the powers-that-be or obsessed with conspiracy theories, is to shift the blame on the ubiquitous 'foreign hand', RAW and Blackwater in particular. So far, not a single terrorist case in Punjab has been established against RAW and despite the arrests of many culprits, the investigations have moved nowhere. Even if they have found some credible leads in some cases, they have not been able to lay hands on the real perpetrators of the suicide bombings.

Most glaring is the view of the so-called security and defence experts, who are as many as you can imagine, who consider the disparate terrorist outfits, especially those fighting in Kashmir or in Afghanistan, as a reserve or 'strategic asset'. Not long ago we were told that almost all of them were Pakistan's 'strategic assets', but gradually it was revealed that most of them have turned hostile and joined the jihadi internationalist solidarity front. Terrorism and terrorist outfits as a tool of national security policy have been central to the twin strategic designs of an India-centric policy and 'strategic depth' in Afghanistan. The roots of this counter-productive strategic paradigm are rooted in General Zia's and President Regan's crusade against the former Soviet Union which, after the exit of the Soviet Union, was to serve the purpose of keeping Afghanistan as a surrogate of Pakistan and, subsequently, its extension to Indian-administered Kashmir.

The strategy that served the purpose of forcing the former Soviet Union to leave Afghanistan was foolishly perpetuated to serve the narrowly defined designs of our hawkish security structures on both the eastern and western fronts. No lessons were drawn despite the 'betrayal' of almost all Afghan surrogates who turned Afghanistan into a chaotic ground for an internecine conflict among the brutal warlords called Afghan Mujahideen. The same policy continued and the Taliban were created and brought into power, who went berserk and put Pakistan in an unenviable position. It was only after 9/11 that under General Musharraf the military establishment had to beat a reluctant and partial retreat.

But the institutional constraints and his own interests kept Musharraf on the road of duplicity and he continued to cling to the Mullah-Military alliance, resulting in the loss of almost all agencies in FATA to the Pakistani Taliban, who were allowed to turn into a monster challenging the writ of the state. Benefitting from the revival of US client status, the Musharraf administration exploited its 'disadvantages', as seen by the international community, such as on terrorism, nuclear proliferation and drug trafficking, to its 'advantage'. Not only General Musharraf but also others developed the art of calculatingly using these 'assets' of national disadvantages and incrementally cashing them in as an advantage. And this zero-sum-game continues to this day without realising the strategic disadvantages and extremely destabilising fallouts of continuing to harbour one proxy or the other, who are now targeting everything in their way to turn Pakistan into yet another Afghanistan.

Everybody wants the back of the US and its allies in Afghanistan — some out of hate for the US, others for "national liberation" or "Islamic glory" against foreign occupation and still others for regaining strategic (soft or hard) depth. What is not realised is the vexing question of who will fill the void created by the exit of the real world powers? Indeed, the masters of our security are still too keen to have a foothold in the treacherous, costly and dangerous quagmire of Afghanistan. Could an economically, nationally and institutionally fragile underdeveloped country hold together a critical mass of instability as its strategic depth against an emerging big power on our east, an enterprise that could not be tackled by the two superpowers in succession?

The NATO allies, especially the US, are only interested in the neutralisation of al Qaeda or those with international terrorist reach. If the Taliban and others break their links with Osama and company, the US will have no problem in doing business with the Taliban while closing their eyes to what havoc a resurgent Taliban will bring to the region, especially Pakistan and Central Asia. The victory we are pursuing in Afghanistan and being facilitated by the US stupidities and inconsistencies may result in such a great anarchy that may consume the whole of Pakistan and Central Asia with a variety of sectarian warriors killing each other in every street and village of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

For the civilian and also other Pakistan, the Taliban and the militants of all varieties are a real threat. Who has the intellectual or strategic guts to convert them into our strategic depth? And those powerful sections who are still pursuing the goal of bringing the Pakhtun Taliban back in power in Kabul are only digging the grave of a democratic Pakistan. By building an 'excessively' Pakistani nationhood on the ideological basis of Islam while Islamists continue to reject nationhood or nation building as repugnant to the theoretical world of the Ummah, we are paying the heavy price of growing sectarian extremism and jihadi terrorism that is going to tear us apart as a people and as a nation, if we are one. Time has already run out and we are yet to wake up to a threat that may leave nothing to defend or relish.
 

ajtr

Tihar Jail
Banned
Joined
Oct 2, 2009
Messages
12,038
Likes
723
'Some ulema reluctant to condemn suicide attacks'


MULTAN: Federal minister for religious affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi on Sunday said that a majority of ulema do not favour suicide attacks but some of them are reluctant to condemn them unconditionally.

Speaking to media representatives in Multan, Kazmi said some families in southern Punjab send their children to seminaries where they are brainwashed and indoctrinated.

These children are then used for acts like these, Kazmi said.

He further said that suicide bombings are fundamentally suicides and the bombers "will go to hell" for their acts and for trying to spread anarchy in the country.
 

ajtr

Tihar Jail
Banned
Joined
Oct 2, 2009
Messages
12,038
Likes
723
Are only Mullah apologist? what about society in general?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest Replies

Global Defence

New threads

Articles

Top