Politics in Pakistan: Has everyone moved on?
December 1st 2009 ANP politician, Shamsher Ali Khan, was killed and eight others injured, including his brother, in the Swat valley when a bomber targeted a guest house, at which they were present.
1 dead, 8 injured.
December 2nd 2009 three naval personnel were killed and nine other people injured in an abortive suicide attack on the Pakistan Naval Complex in Sector E-8 in Islamabad on Wednesday afternoon. The teenaged suicide bomber blew himself up when he was intercepted by a naval intelligence official.
4 dead, 17 injured
December 4th 2009 at least 40 people, including 17 children besides serving and retired Army officers and personnel, were martyred and over 86 injured, when a Friday congregation at the Parade Lane Askari mosque in Rawalpindi Cantonment was attacked by a group of terrorists. The high number of casualties was caused by hurling of grenades and indiscriminate targeted firing by the terrorists, reportedly numbering between six to eight individuals. According to latest reports, two of the terrorists blew themselves up while two others were gunned down in a exchange of fire with security forces. The remaining terrorists escaped and took refuge in the vicinity. Besides 17 children, an army major general, a brigadier, two lieutenant colonels, a major and a number of soldiers were among those killed in the multi-pronged attack
44 dead; 103 injured.
December 7th, 2009 terrorists struck three provincial headquarters on Monday. The highest casualty rate was in Lahore when two powerful bomb blasts, 30 seconds apart, ripped through the busy Moon Market in Lahore’s Allama Iqbal Town at 8:45pm in the night, claiming at least 45 lives and injuring many. The blasts, which took place within a radius of 30 metre, also caused a massive fire in a crowded shopping mall. It also knocked out electricity supply. The toll later rose to 54 dead and 150 injured. While in Peshawar, 11 people, including two policemen, were killed and 45 others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance of the sessions courts.
109 dead; 298 injured.
December 8th 2009 A pick-up truck packed with explosives blew up near an office of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the Cantonment area of Multan on Tuesday, killing 12 people and injuring 47 in the third bloody militant strike in 24 hours. The commando-style gun and bomb attack was carried out by the terrorists in the Qasim Bela area of the city. At least two militants armed with guns and rocket-launchers tried to attack the ISI offices.
121 dead; 345 injured.
December 10th 2009; the suicide attacks are no longer front page story on DAWN’s website. Reports of IG Punjab cracking a joke and than laughing at the hospital on December 8th surface on Mubashar Lucman’s show.
121 dead; 345 injured.
In 8 days.
Women and children were amongst the dead, it could have been you, it could have been me.
The Muthaida Qaumi Movement launched a nation wide protest on 9th of December, gathering I would reckon almost a million people, through several cities nationwide. 1 million people out of 160 million people. Thats how many took to the streets after 121 dead and 345 injured.
2007 when General Pervaiz Musharraf gave the order to attack Lal Masjid the nation erupted with anti-Musharraf slogans. The argument surfaced even more strongly than before, Muslims who kill muslims will go to hell. All the religious parties stopped supporting Musharraf.
Musharraf was forced to become soft against the Taliban.
In the 80s, ISI trained, nurtured and gave birth to the Taliban, supported by CIA and Saudi Arabian funds. After they won the cold-war, the Taliban were left under the control of ISI who used them as freedom fighters in Kashmir.
After 9/11 America’s decision to invade Afghanistan resulted in catastrophic violence in Pakistan. The Taliban no longer have control and because they have failed at every attempt to attack the US again, they have started attacking its allies. Pakistan is the most important ally.
MQM has proposed a much needed counter terrorism policy, although the details of the policy are not public yet, hints have been dropped by a number of MQM people as to what will be in the policy. Its surprising though, that it took them this long to table a policy and get it approved and I hope the policy has some resemblance to the tv show 24 where Jack Bauer hunts down terrorists and basically kills them. My point here is that we need to get tough and my point is that all of us should write to MQM proposing counter terrorism policies. MQM is the 3rd largest party and they are unique because they listen, we need to avail this opportunity and make our concerns be heard in the highest echelons of MQM management. Lets be practical, MQM are good but they are far from the best. The people are the best but they are far from good. We as humans not as a nation, but as individual humans, work, brainstorm and put down on a piece of paper key points that will make the counter terrorism policy most effective. If we don’t avail this opportunity, than we are really not contributing towards Pakistan and no matter how much we condemn the attacks it really makes no difference.
We need action and we as HUMANS need to demand for that action, otherwise the Taliban will slowly kill us all and destroy Pakistan.
121 dead; 345 injured; thats the official count.