Suicide attack in Karachi

Of late there were ample signs suggesting that in the wake of the ongoing police-assisted paramilitary operation, life in Karachi was returning to normal. A number of criminal gangs had been busted and quite a few target-killers were apprehended, in addition to the recovery of huge caches of illegal weapons. And the business community was feeling a little bit secure against the extortionist mafia. But that was not to be; the suicide-bombers seem to have returned to the metropolis filled with a sense of deadly vengeance.
Their attack on the residence of senior police officer SSP Chaudhry Aslam in the city's upscale Defence Housing Authority locality on Monday morning couldn't be more lethal. An explosives-laden vehicle was detonated at the gate of the building which killed eight persons, including six of his police bodyguards. The other two victims were a woman teacher and her eight-year-old son. Had the attack come late just by half an hour the carnage caused would have been enormous as that is the time when schools in that area open. But apparently the terrorists' target was the police officer who was at home, with rest of his family, but miraculously escaped because the attackers couldn't make entry into the compound and exploded at the gate. The 10-foot-deep crater caused by the blast that damaged a number of nearby buildings was heard far and wide, for which 300-plus-kilogramme of explosive material must have been used, makes one think that for the terrorists Chaudhry Aslam was not an ordinary target.
A daredevil police sleuth Chaudhry Aslam was after the terrorists for quite some time. He not only rid Karachi of some dreaded criminals he also arrested many target-killers including the three of them last week who have confessed murdering scores of innocent people. He is not deterred; whatever the risks he says he would chase the criminals to the gates of hell. That he and his criminal investigation department are behind the recent arrests of some important Taliban operatives also is indicated by the Tehrik-i-Taliban's prompt acceptance of responsibility for the blast at his residence.
Of course, there were intelligence reports that Taliban planned a high-profile suicide attack as retaliation but information was sketchy. But how can you stop someone from exploding himself when he is determined to do so - that's the uniqueness of the weaponry in the hands of Taliban. In fact, the prime focus has to be the bow from which the arrow is shot, for once released it would not come back. A year back, the Taliban had attacked the CID headquarters in Karachi causing 20 deaths and extensive damage, obviously indicating that they had been zeroing in on officers like Chaudhry Aslam.
While other groups of criminals can be taken care of by raids on their hideouts or counter-attacks, tackling extremists like Taliban is not that easy. You would need to do extensive intelligence work, and all counter-measures have to be essentially pre-emptive. How good is the Karachi police in that field, one can't be very positive given the confessional admission by the force's own leadership that over 40 percent of their personnel have tainted loyalty to their professional work.
In this backdrop, Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wassan's remark - that frustrated over the government's success in controlling targeted killings, the 'conspirators' must have launched suicide-bombers in pursuance of their objective to keep Karachi in turmoil - needs elaboration. Who are these conspirators? Are they our own people or outsiders? Does it in any way help in comprehending as to why the police failed and the Rangers succeeded. It's indeed a complex challenge and deserves to be handled with a firm commitment and a realistic plan.
The Rangers are doing a good job and must remain in the field as long as it takes. Where we seem to be in short supply is political will on the part of the leaderships on both sides of the political divide. How irrelevant to the ever-deteriorating law and order situation in Karachi are the off-and-on slanging matches between the city's important stakeholders, it leaves one profoundly frustrated. If one is to name a single cause for Pakistan's economic downturn it is undoubtedly the rampant violence in Karachi which so often brings this industrial-financial hub to a grinding halt. Yes you need more brave and committed police officers like Chaudhry Aslam, but you also need impartial political oversight, impartial bureaucratic machinery and a realistic programme to deal with the menace of terrorism on a permanent basis.