Non-stop killing of the Shia minority has rattled the international press and even evoked condemnation from the UN Secretary General. From recurrent summary executions of the Shias in Gilgit to near daily killings of Hazara Shias in Balochistan and sporadic big-city incidents like the al-Quds Day blast in Karachi, the Shia minority comprising 15 percent of our population ends up amongst the dispossessed of the country. Even the simplest investigation into the matter reveals disturbing trends that take us to the jihadi madrassas and also the heart of Pakistan’s security construct. The state is responsible for the life and liberty of all citizens, therefore the government must address some very serious issues. One, more often than not, militants do the government’s most serious work for them — identifying the perpetrators. Why then do the heads of militant outfits that claim responsibility for such acts continue to roam free? Granted, arresting the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leaders is a remote possibility, but why is Lashkar-e-Jhangvi chief Malik Ishaq addressing Difa-e-Pakistan Council rallies? Two, why the silence from the political class, both government and opposition? Some of the more blatant hits — like the bus episode in Gilgit — draw the usual condemnation, but these ritual statements are seldom followed up by anything concrete like arresting those responsible, bringing them to justice and protecting the victim community. Three, why is there no mention of terrorist funding? Why are we afraid of admitting the harm done by madrassas run predominantly on petrodollars from some of our most reliable allies? Why are we so willing to continue playing proxy battlefield for powers whose interests are no longer aligned with ours, if they ever were? Four, how many more episodes of needless deaths will it take to prompt serious and meaningful action from our security agencies? Must our social fabric be torn asunder further for expedient reasons?
Continuing army action in the tribal area, recent Swat history, attacks like the Kamra and Mehran bases and ISI and GHQ premises, and increasing radicalisation of society already point to the spectre of civil war, as even COAS General Kayani has warned. Allowing sectarian militias to carry out targeted minority killings, particularly at this juncture, seriously injures the writ of the state. With the official machinery always behind the curve, always reactive and never proactive, Islamabad risks opening another bloody chapter in this already repugnant narrative. Failing immediate and meaningful action, the government will have only itself to blame as Pakistan’s needless, self-destructive downward spiral intensifies. http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\08\19\story_19-8-2012_pg3_1
Be First to Comment