I become depressed to see the sheer number of bad news that came out since the very next day of my return from Karachi. The first one was about the two-storey building that fell, primarily due to poor construction. At least nine people, including women and children, were killed as a result of this disaster, with the building housing residential quarters. Soon after that, the miserable news of a suicide bombing in Islamabad came. With that, it was even more depressing for me to realize that Pakistanis are facing growing dangers to their political, economic and physical security. The sad news marked the first 100 days of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) coalition government, and the first anniversary of the Red Mosque raid by Pakistan's military. After the suicide blast at the Melody Chowk in Islamabad, the entire Sindh region, including Karachi, has been kept on alert. Despite that, on July 7, only a day after the suicide bombing, a series of explosions rocked the Pashtun-dominated areas of the port city of Karachi. This, another devastating attack on Pakistani soil, stirred up huge chaos. There were seven blasts in one hour at five locations, creating shock, anger and confusion. The July 6 attacks left 19 people dead, including 15 policemen, and more than 40 have been injured. Reserve police personnel were targeted in the blast, and the victims include policemen from Islamabad and Punjab. Undoubtedly, it was an attack against security forces carried out by a suicide bomber, which occurred shortly after thousands of Islamists concluded the rally that commemorated the first anniversary of the deadly ‘Operation Silence' against the heavily armed extremists entrenched in the Lal Mosque on July 10, 2007. The explosion may have been the outcome of ‘Operation Silence,' or it may have been a fulfillment of recent threats of revenge from militants in Pakistan annoyed by a paramilitary operation against insurgents in the tribal northwest. The operation in question had been put on hold on the request of the tribal jirga. They wanted a ceasefire in accordance with tribal customs in order to hold talks with the other side. However, Pakistani Taleban leaders had threatened to settle scores for the government's show of force as an ally of war on terrorism. Some weeks ago, as militants in the northwest increasingly began threatening the major northwestern city of Peshawar, the government began a paramilitary operation to flush out those extremists in the Khyber tribal region, which is considered to be the gateway to South Asia from Afghanistan. Peshawar is a key passage used to send supplies to US-led forces in Afghanistan. The security in the Pak-Afghan border area of Torkham has been put on high alert after the recent Karachi and Islamabad bombings. Since last year, violence levels have fallen in Pakistan, but attacks still occur. After former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's slaying at the end of 2007, in which more than 20 others were also killed, there were many others, even worse bomb attacks that unleashed chaos and threatened and shocked Pakistanis. On January 10, a suicide bomber walked up to policemen outside the High Court in Lahore and set off explosives, killing 19, including 16 policemen and three passers-by. On February 22 in Swat, a roadside bomb killed 13 in a wedding party, including the bride. On February 29, a suicide attack on a police funeral again in the district of Swat killed 40 people. At least 40 others were killed when a suicide bomber attacked a traditional tribal meeting on March 2 in the tribal region of Darra Adam Kheil. On March 11, two suicide car bombers struck, killing 24 people, most of which died in an attack on a government security office in Lahore. On March 15, a bomb exploded at an Italian restaurant in Islamabad, a favorite hangout for foreigners, killing a Turkish woman and wounding four FBI agents. On June 2, a suicide bomber blew up a car outside the Danish embassy in Islamabad, killing at least six people and wounding 20. Most of the suicide attacks over the past year have targeted law-enforcement personnel or, in the case of some areas in the North-West Frontier Province, political or sectarian rivals. Tragically, once more, policemen are getting killed, many of whom were young men who could in no way bear any responsibility for ‘Operation Silence' that was apparently being protested by the bombers and those behind such attacks, or for the broader actions that are taking place against militancy. A government that came to power following February elections has sought to end militancy in the country, primarily through peace deals with extremists, but it still cannot sort it all out. The July 7 pre-planned attacks targeted the poor segment of Karachi's Pashtun population, killing one and injuring more than 50 others. It's a pity that enraged people took to the streets and started pelting stones at moving vehicles in such a sensitive and difficult situation, at a time when there was much need to stay calm and united to defeat the dirty aims of destroying and destabilizing the city and the government. This brutal attempt was made to trigger ethnic riots and sow the seeds of terror and fear. Many analysts hinted at the involvement of foreign countries as well in the heinous acts of carrying out these explosions. The bomb blasts in Islamabad and Karachi are characterized by synchronized timing, innocent victims and unknown culprits. After the elections, the situation of political wrang living, differences and squabbling among members of the coalition structure is certainly not unusual for Pakistan, but at present, those are the most precarious and unstable times. There has been a rapid decline in Pakistan's economy. Strangely enough, nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan's explosive charges in his interviews with the media hit the news headlines at about the same time. His recent statement that “the Pakistan Army and its intelligence agencies were involved in the transfer of nuclear material to North Korea in exchange for 200 SA-15 missiles” is likely to result in greater external threats as well. Pakistan is already approaching a point of crisis as the militant insurgency continues to spiral out of control. Stoking ethnic unrest in Karachi for political reasons can only worsen the security dilemma confronting the state, and will provide a greater opportunity for the militants to strike. Recent suicide bombings indicate the growing problem of militants in Pakistan. The cycle of violence unleashed in Pakistan by militants who have unclear, and perhaps unacceptable, political goals, is really dragging the country toward chaos. For how long will the economically depressed, suffering nation witness body parts, blood and raw flesh splattered on roads, grass and tree branches? There is a need to assess the situation and set forth an overall policy that should be well-crafted vis-à-vis the militants. So far, there is considerable confusion in policies regarding militancy. Major parties are divided as to what strategy should be adopted. Analysts are calling for the need to develop a consensus among key parties and other players on what should be done. It is necessary to, suppress, marginalize and eliminate anarchic groups that are taking Pakistan hostage. __
