Botched bombing

EDITORIAL: Whilst the threat level remains high, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), a terror attack in Peshawar was mercifully averted on Sunday morning.

According to police officials, three alleged militants, one of whom wore a suicide vest, were on their way to their target when the explosives filled vest went off prematurely, killing two of them instantaneously and wounding the third one.

Although unable to speak properly, he has helped the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) to identify all three, including the alleged potential suicide bomber who belonged to Tehkal neighbourhood in the provincial capital. Reportedly, those militants had travelled to Afghanistan, which suggests they were the foot soldiers of the terror outfit, the self-styled Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Its refutations notwithstanding, there is enough evidence, including UN assessment reports, of that the Kabul government provides safe haven to TTP militants on its territory, from where they have regularly been making forays into this country attacking the security forces, the police and other civilians.

In fact, shortly before the botched bombing incident, two militants trying to infiltrate the Pak-Afghan border in KP’s tribal district of North Waziristan were killed and three others injured in an exchange of fire with security forces.

Reacting to such grave provocations, on Sunday the military’s media wing, ISPR, issued a statement reiterating its concerns, though, in a rather soft tone so as not to ruffle any feathers at a time behind-the-scenes talks are believed to be an ongoing process.

“Pakistan has consistently asked the interim Afghan government to ensure effective border management on their side of the border”, stated the ISPR, adding that the “interim Afghan government is expected to fulfil its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by terrorists for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan.”

The soldiers are bravely fighting the intruders, sacrificing their lives in the line of duty. But also complicating the security situation are some other jihadists. Confirming the identities of the three militants involved in the present incident, the CTD officials said, “they all are new for us, we never heard about them earlier.”

An important detail they now know is that the two killed were enrolled in a religious seminary and the one wounded also was a madressah alumnus. Sectarian seminaries are known to serve as breeding ground of jihadists.

Hence, the political consensus-based 20-point National Action Plan adopted in December 2014 in the wake of the Peshawar Army Public School carnage, among other measures, included registration and regulation of religious seminaries. Yet many have managed to resist registration; and almost all audit of their accounts. What happened in Peshawar on Sunday should serve as a wakeup call for all concerned.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024