Daily Times editorial Dec 6, 2009

Attack on masjid

Pakistanis have become almost resigned to the daily fare of suicide bombings and other attacks by the barbaric terrorists who pretend to speak in the name of Islam. But even an almost inured populace could be forgiven its shock and horror at the suicide attack on a mosque (masjid) in Rawalpindi. The target may have been the army personnel and their families who frequent the masjid. The gathering for Friday prayers saw one major general and other senior army officers plus jawans killed. The terrorists did not even spare children, 17 of whom were amongst the dead.
If the aim of the terrorists was to spread panic and fear, they succeeded to the extent of the kind of insecurity that spread through the area, the wider city, and other parts of the country. Shops closed, people hurried home to safety, and normal life came virtually to a standstill. The next morning, while these lines are being written, another bombing occurred in Peshawar, arguably the hardest hit of all the cities targeted by the terrorists in recent days.
The heightened spate of suicide and other attacks and the almost daily toll of life and limb can only be explained by what happened earlier in Swat and Malakand and is currently underway in South Waziristan. Clearly, the military’s offensives have hurt the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and all the foreign fighters dug in in our tribal areas since years. Unable to prevail against the might of the army in their base areas under attack by the military’s offensive, the terrorists have chosen to hit strategic targets without discrimination between armed forces and security personnel and institutions on the one hand, and innocent citizens caught in the path of the bloody campaign of mayhem on the other. The twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have suffered the sixth attack in the last three months, of which, in the light of this latest atrocity, attention should be focused on the assault on GHQ and the Naval Complex in Islamabad. The terrorists are trying to demoralise the armed forces and security organisations by hitting indiscriminately in areas that may have security arrangements, but are unable so far to prevent terrorists sneaking in in one guise or the other to ply their murderous trade.
Interestingly, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan has snot only claimed responsibility for the attack on the masjid, but has attempted to justify it by comparing the Parade Lane masjid to the Masjid-e-Zarrar built in Medina by the munafiqeen, and which was demolished on the orders of the Prophet (PBUH). To try and place themselves on the same pedestal as the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and the purposes of his life, work and message, is to make a mockery of Islam. In this context, Interior Minister Rehman Malik has appealed to clerics to issue a fatwa against suicide bombings and those turning masjids into battlefields.
Another worrying aspect of the situation is the impending advent of Muharram. An otherwise normally charged atmosphere that accompanies Muharram could be made far worse if the terrorists saw the occasion as an opportunity to hit majalis or processions. It could arguably enflame sectarian sentiment, something the terrorists would welcome. It is incumbent therefore on the government, armed forces and security organisations to take pre-emptive steps to ensure a peaceful Muharram. In the longer term, the terrorists have to be crushed if peace, tranquillity and normal life is to return to our troubled country.