Talmizur Rahman
Who exactly is calling the shots in Pakistan? Even a semblance of rule of law appears to have become a thing of the past in that country. With the roots of virtually all terror activities round the world embedded in the soil of Pakistan, nobody quite knows when or who would be the next terror target.
The horrendous terror strike on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, though shocking, was not totally out of place when considered against the backdrop that over the decades Pakistan has become the most dreaded terror hub in the international arena. It all began during the reign of General Zia-ul Haq, under the direct blessings of whom Islamic zealots gained an upper hand in Pakistan. Thereafter, the scenario underwent a sea change with venom against India and to some extent against the West being spread like wildfire, while terror outfits mushroomed in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Khalistani terrorists groomed in Pakistan unleashed a reign of terror in Punjab for nearly a decade during the eighties, while around the same time a proxy war let loose by Pakistan-trained terrorists raged in Kashmir. And that proxy war continues till date.
For decades the US administration conveniently overlooked the numerous calls made by India that terrorist outfits based in Pakistan were launching deadly strikes on the Indian soil. It was only after the terror strikes of 9/11, in which US interests were hurt, that Washington woke up to the grave threat posed by terror outfits based in Afghanistan and Pakistan. History bears testimony to the fact that the Afghan mujahideen and Taliban were creations of Pakistan. (Strange names crop up at strange places. The US administration, in their mission to drive out the then occupying Soviet forces from Afghanistan, extended all logistic, material and financial support towards the grooming of Afghan mujahideen by Pakistan.)
With the Taliban firmly saddled in Afghanistan, courtesy Pakistan, began the era of terror in its horrifying form. The country turned into a safe hub for al-Qaeda and all other Islamist terror forces, resulting in export of terrorism to different parts of the world. Side by side the terror outfits in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir began to multiply in number and strength, and terror strikes in various parts of India mounted. Meanwhile, Islamabad went about with its habitual denial to the existence of terror camps in that country.
Today, Pakistan is in the vicious grip of the Frankenstein’s monster created by itself. Besides targeting India and the West, the numerous terror outfits based in Pakistan are now on the prowl in Pakistan itself with enough power under their belt to almost topple the government in Islamabad. The Taliban, al-Qaeda and other terror outfits (they are all chips of the same block) are presently wielding great power in vast tracks in the northwestern part of that country. To be more precise, it is the writ of the Taliban and other terror outfits that run across the length and breath of the northwestern belt of that country. This is crystal clear from the recent deal worked out by Islamabad with the Taliban in Swat in northwestern Pakistan. The open threat issued to India by the Taliban and al-Qaeda from the soil of Pakistan is another instance of Islamabad’s dwindling power in the face of growing terror power in that country. Although, as of now, a democratically elected government is in place in Islamabad, the bitter truth is that it is the writ of the ISI and the Pakistan army to which the powers in Islamabad always bow. And the Taliban, al-Qaeda and other terror outfits have a working relationship with the ISI and a section of the Pakistan Army. It is this reality that always forced any civilian government in Pakistan to run a second fiddle even to the terror outfits lest the ISI or the Army be offended. No wonder then that terror organizations have always been having a free run in Pakistan.
After 9/11, in which Pakistan’s role could always be under the scanner, the Mumbai terror strike has proved to the hilt before the international community the direct involvement of Pakistan-based terror outfits. Despite repeated denials in its attempt to provide cover to the terror elements based on its soil, Islamabad was ultimately compelled, under international pressure, to admit that the strike was ‘partly’ planned in Pakistan. With pressures mounting from various quarters of the globe, the Pakistan government has also initiated certain steps, though cosmetic, against some of these outfits.
However, the bitter reality is that these terror organizations have amassed so much strength and power over the decades, courtesy Islamabad, that they are not prepared to tolerate any check on their activities by the government. Vehemently protesting even the cosmetic crackdown on a few terror groups, the Taliban and other terror organizations in Pakistan forced the powers-that-be in Islamabad to be on their knees at Swat. It was perhaps with the intention of sending a clear signal to Islamabad to keep its hands off all terrorists that terror elements launched the deadly strike on the Sri Lankan cricket team. Perhaps the terror outfits also wanted to send a signal to the international community that they were the real force to reckon with in Pakistan.
What, however, appears to be most shocking about the terror strike on the Sri Lankan cricketers is that there was a total security lapse. It is ordinary common sense that the route along which a national team of a foreign country is taken to the stadium is predetermined and specified, although kept a secret till the last moment. Accordingly, the area on both sides of the road is thoroughly sanitized and several security rings are placed in the area for the security of the players. Such a security cover should be a lot more stringent in a country like Pakistan where terrorists have a free run. Shockingly enough, footage aired by several television channels clearly showed that there was not even a semblance of security cover in the area near the stadium in Lahore, while the terrorists were seen to be having a free run all over the place while launching the strike on the bus carrying the Sri Lankan players.
The attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team was an attack on the international community. Now that it is almost certain that Islamabad would try to push all evidence under the carpet, a thorough probe by some international agency like the Interpol or the International Court of Justice or any other wing under the aegis of the UNO is absolutely necessary if the world community is to confront terror squarely. While rules may stand in the way in carrying out such a mission, the comity of nations must join hands to change the rules if the war against terror is to be carried out to its logical end. Meanwhile, at least foreign teams should refrain from visiting Pakistan even for a friendly match for at least a decade or two.
(The writer is a journalist) THE SENTINEL
Who exactly is calling the shots in Pakistan? Even a semblance of rule of law appears to have become a thing of the past in that country. With the roots of virtually all terror activities round the world embedded in the soil of Pakistan, nobody quite knows when or who would be the next terror target.
The horrendous terror strike on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, though shocking, was not totally out of place when considered against the backdrop that over the decades Pakistan has become the most dreaded terror hub in the international arena. It all began during the reign of General Zia-ul Haq, under the direct blessings of whom Islamic zealots gained an upper hand in Pakistan. Thereafter, the scenario underwent a sea change with venom against India and to some extent against the West being spread like wildfire, while terror outfits mushroomed in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Khalistani terrorists groomed in Pakistan unleashed a reign of terror in Punjab for nearly a decade during the eighties, while around the same time a proxy war let loose by Pakistan-trained terrorists raged in Kashmir. And that proxy war continues till date.
For decades the US administration conveniently overlooked the numerous calls made by India that terrorist outfits based in Pakistan were launching deadly strikes on the Indian soil. It was only after the terror strikes of 9/11, in which US interests were hurt, that Washington woke up to the grave threat posed by terror outfits based in Afghanistan and Pakistan. History bears testimony to the fact that the Afghan mujahideen and Taliban were creations of Pakistan. (Strange names crop up at strange places. The US administration, in their mission to drive out the then occupying Soviet forces from Afghanistan, extended all logistic, material and financial support towards the grooming of Afghan mujahideen by Pakistan.)
With the Taliban firmly saddled in Afghanistan, courtesy Pakistan, began the era of terror in its horrifying form. The country turned into a safe hub for al-Qaeda and all other Islamist terror forces, resulting in export of terrorism to different parts of the world. Side by side the terror outfits in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir began to multiply in number and strength, and terror strikes in various parts of India mounted. Meanwhile, Islamabad went about with its habitual denial to the existence of terror camps in that country.
Today, Pakistan is in the vicious grip of the Frankenstein’s monster created by itself. Besides targeting India and the West, the numerous terror outfits based in Pakistan are now on the prowl in Pakistan itself with enough power under their belt to almost topple the government in Islamabad. The Taliban, al-Qaeda and other terror outfits (they are all chips of the same block) are presently wielding great power in vast tracks in the northwestern part of that country. To be more precise, it is the writ of the Taliban and other terror outfits that run across the length and breath of the northwestern belt of that country. This is crystal clear from the recent deal worked out by Islamabad with the Taliban in Swat in northwestern Pakistan. The open threat issued to India by the Taliban and al-Qaeda from the soil of Pakistan is another instance of Islamabad’s dwindling power in the face of growing terror power in that country. Although, as of now, a democratically elected government is in place in Islamabad, the bitter truth is that it is the writ of the ISI and the Pakistan army to which the powers in Islamabad always bow. And the Taliban, al-Qaeda and other terror outfits have a working relationship with the ISI and a section of the Pakistan Army. It is this reality that always forced any civilian government in Pakistan to run a second fiddle even to the terror outfits lest the ISI or the Army be offended. No wonder then that terror organizations have always been having a free run in Pakistan.
After 9/11, in which Pakistan’s role could always be under the scanner, the Mumbai terror strike has proved to the hilt before the international community the direct involvement of Pakistan-based terror outfits. Despite repeated denials in its attempt to provide cover to the terror elements based on its soil, Islamabad was ultimately compelled, under international pressure, to admit that the strike was ‘partly’ planned in Pakistan. With pressures mounting from various quarters of the globe, the Pakistan government has also initiated certain steps, though cosmetic, against some of these outfits.
However, the bitter reality is that these terror organizations have amassed so much strength and power over the decades, courtesy Islamabad, that they are not prepared to tolerate any check on their activities by the government. Vehemently protesting even the cosmetic crackdown on a few terror groups, the Taliban and other terror organizations in Pakistan forced the powers-that-be in Islamabad to be on their knees at Swat. It was perhaps with the intention of sending a clear signal to Islamabad to keep its hands off all terrorists that terror elements launched the deadly strike on the Sri Lankan cricket team. Perhaps the terror outfits also wanted to send a signal to the international community that they were the real force to reckon with in Pakistan.
What, however, appears to be most shocking about the terror strike on the Sri Lankan cricketers is that there was a total security lapse. It is ordinary common sense that the route along which a national team of a foreign country is taken to the stadium is predetermined and specified, although kept a secret till the last moment. Accordingly, the area on both sides of the road is thoroughly sanitized and several security rings are placed in the area for the security of the players. Such a security cover should be a lot more stringent in a country like Pakistan where terrorists have a free run. Shockingly enough, footage aired by several television channels clearly showed that there was not even a semblance of security cover in the area near the stadium in Lahore, while the terrorists were seen to be having a free run all over the place while launching the strike on the bus carrying the Sri Lankan players.
The attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team was an attack on the international community. Now that it is almost certain that Islamabad would try to push all evidence under the carpet, a thorough probe by some international agency like the Interpol or the International Court of Justice or any other wing under the aegis of the UNO is absolutely necessary if the world community is to confront terror squarely. While rules may stand in the way in carrying out such a mission, the comity of nations must join hands to change the rules if the war against terror is to be carried out to its logical end. Meanwhile, at least foreign teams should refrain from visiting Pakistan even for a friendly match for at least a decade or two.
(The writer is a journalist) THE SENTINEL
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