ISLAMABAD:
If Nero fiddled while Rome burned, the Pakistani leaders play
blame-games as terror strikes. The attack on the Karachi airport on
Sunday night granted them another opportunity to settle scores with each
other.
There is neither any likelihood of introspection nor any head will be rolled for negligence. There is nobody to lead by example. They are instead interested in making an example of each other through verbal onslaught.
Ironically, all those gunning at each other have been in the government at the provincial/federal level and failed to preempt the terrorist attacks. But when it comes to teaching others, they turn out to be Socrates.
The terrorists struck at the airport exposing the inefficiency of the government at the international level. Already, several foreign airlines have either closed down or suspended operations in Pakistan; the latest attack may serve yet another blow to the country.
The Taliban chose to attack the airport of Pakistan’s biggest commercial hub, Karachi, a turbulent city where better law and order has become a distant dream. In February this year, the Wall Street Journal quoting police officials had revealed that one-third of Karachi was under the control of Taliban, a report the government denied in a routine manner.
This is a story of the city where private security guards outnumber the police. There are 27,000 police officials (majority recruited on political basis), a figure in contrast with the numbers of private guards, 55,000. Earlier, a US diplomatic cable revealed that a political party’s militant wing has more members than the city police.
The IG Sindh on Monday absolved himself of any responsibility for the airport attack and instead demanded appreciation for doing his best with a limited number of cops.
The Sindh Information Minister, Sharjeel Memon, has saved the provincial government from any blame saying that the airport was a subject of the federal government as if the Sindh government has set a very good example of law and order in Karachi that remained closed for a couple of days after the arrest of MQM leader Altaf Hussain in London.
The Karachiites were in panic soon after the news broke about the arrest, fearing the development in London would have a snowball effect in Karachi. Instead of taking care of citizens, the top government functionaries started to take the lead in running away from their offices.
The chief secretary, home secretary and prosecutor general Sindh were the first to leave the Secretariat and their guards were seen gunning at the commoners to vacate their exit path, according to Imdad Soomro, The News correspondent who was present there at that time. Soomro himself couldn’t reach his home and had to spend three days with a friend somewhere else due to the road blockade.
Living to its reputation, the PTI leadership didn’t miss this opportunity of indulging in blame-game as if Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been declared a model province in terms of law and order. Imran has condemned the attack and lambasted the federal government for failing to establish its writ.
Almost a year ago, terrorists broke into the Dera Ismail Khan Jail to take away some of their detained colleagues, other than slaughtering some prisoners who belonged to a minority sect. Before the PTI government, the Bannu jail was attacked in a similar fashion when the ANP was at the helm of affairs. Imran Khan had then demanded the resignation of the incumbent government. However, he called for introspection and vowed to fix the responsibility after the DI Khan jail break.
A commission was set up to investigate the incident that submitted its report in December last year which was also partly released. No action has been taken yet. The report also disclosed that Chief Minister Pervez Khattak was passed on the intelligence about the likely attack on the jail but he didn’t care to read it, let alone taking preemptive measures. This is another story that the army had taken some steps; nevertheless the incident could not be avoided.
In contrast to the PTI’s outcry over the Karachi attack and condemnation of the federal government, the PML-N reacted outright differently after the DI Khan jail break. No statement was issued to settle score with the PTI government for its negligence. Instead, a senior government official privately admitted the eroding writ of the state, no matter the venue fell in provincial or federal government’s jurisdiction. A minister, while commenting on the jail break, had then said: “Taliban wanted to attack there and they did. Had they planned it for Adiala Jail, nobody could have stopped them there as well.”
This honest admission was a grim reminder of the weakening state and the government’s pessimistic approach towards tackling it. Earlier, terrorists had attacked the GHQ in 2009. It was carried out six months after the Punjab Police’s Special Branch had conveyed a report about it. The police had intercepted an explosive-laden truck in Dera Ghazi Khan and also recovered a USB from the driver wherein the TTP had chalked out a plan of targeting different vital installations and the GHQ was one of them.
Maulana Ahmed Ludhyanvi and Malik Ishaq were airlifted by the army from Multan and Rahimyar Khan for negotiating with the terrorists as they were affiliated with their splinter groups.
While the Karachi airport is a subject of the Defence Ministry, the minister in-charge has been found nowhere on the scene. He could have made no difference had he even been on the forefront. This incident is another example of intelligence failure. Our agencies have got more important assignments than tackling terrorism. While we are fighting each other, terrorists are playing havoc with the country.
There is neither any likelihood of introspection nor any head will be rolled for negligence. There is nobody to lead by example. They are instead interested in making an example of each other through verbal onslaught.
Ironically, all those gunning at each other have been in the government at the provincial/federal level and failed to preempt the terrorist attacks. But when it comes to teaching others, they turn out to be Socrates.
The terrorists struck at the airport exposing the inefficiency of the government at the international level. Already, several foreign airlines have either closed down or suspended operations in Pakistan; the latest attack may serve yet another blow to the country.
The Taliban chose to attack the airport of Pakistan’s biggest commercial hub, Karachi, a turbulent city where better law and order has become a distant dream. In February this year, the Wall Street Journal quoting police officials had revealed that one-third of Karachi was under the control of Taliban, a report the government denied in a routine manner.
This is a story of the city where private security guards outnumber the police. There are 27,000 police officials (majority recruited on political basis), a figure in contrast with the numbers of private guards, 55,000. Earlier, a US diplomatic cable revealed that a political party’s militant wing has more members than the city police.
The IG Sindh on Monday absolved himself of any responsibility for the airport attack and instead demanded appreciation for doing his best with a limited number of cops.
The Sindh Information Minister, Sharjeel Memon, has saved the provincial government from any blame saying that the airport was a subject of the federal government as if the Sindh government has set a very good example of law and order in Karachi that remained closed for a couple of days after the arrest of MQM leader Altaf Hussain in London.
The Karachiites were in panic soon after the news broke about the arrest, fearing the development in London would have a snowball effect in Karachi. Instead of taking care of citizens, the top government functionaries started to take the lead in running away from their offices.
The chief secretary, home secretary and prosecutor general Sindh were the first to leave the Secretariat and their guards were seen gunning at the commoners to vacate their exit path, according to Imdad Soomro, The News correspondent who was present there at that time. Soomro himself couldn’t reach his home and had to spend three days with a friend somewhere else due to the road blockade.
Living to its reputation, the PTI leadership didn’t miss this opportunity of indulging in blame-game as if Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been declared a model province in terms of law and order. Imran has condemned the attack and lambasted the federal government for failing to establish its writ.
Almost a year ago, terrorists broke into the Dera Ismail Khan Jail to take away some of their detained colleagues, other than slaughtering some prisoners who belonged to a minority sect. Before the PTI government, the Bannu jail was attacked in a similar fashion when the ANP was at the helm of affairs. Imran Khan had then demanded the resignation of the incumbent government. However, he called for introspection and vowed to fix the responsibility after the DI Khan jail break.
A commission was set up to investigate the incident that submitted its report in December last year which was also partly released. No action has been taken yet. The report also disclosed that Chief Minister Pervez Khattak was passed on the intelligence about the likely attack on the jail but he didn’t care to read it, let alone taking preemptive measures. This is another story that the army had taken some steps; nevertheless the incident could not be avoided.
In contrast to the PTI’s outcry over the Karachi attack and condemnation of the federal government, the PML-N reacted outright differently after the DI Khan jail break. No statement was issued to settle score with the PTI government for its negligence. Instead, a senior government official privately admitted the eroding writ of the state, no matter the venue fell in provincial or federal government’s jurisdiction. A minister, while commenting on the jail break, had then said: “Taliban wanted to attack there and they did. Had they planned it for Adiala Jail, nobody could have stopped them there as well.”
This honest admission was a grim reminder of the weakening state and the government’s pessimistic approach towards tackling it. Earlier, terrorists had attacked the GHQ in 2009. It was carried out six months after the Punjab Police’s Special Branch had conveyed a report about it. The police had intercepted an explosive-laden truck in Dera Ghazi Khan and also recovered a USB from the driver wherein the TTP had chalked out a plan of targeting different vital installations and the GHQ was one of them.
Maulana Ahmed Ludhyanvi and Malik Ishaq were airlifted by the army from Multan and Rahimyar Khan for negotiating with the terrorists as they were affiliated with their splinter groups.
While the Karachi airport is a subject of the Defence Ministry, the minister in-charge has been found nowhere on the scene. He could have made no difference had he even been on the forefront. This incident is another example of intelligence failure. Our agencies have got more important assignments than tackling terrorism. While we are fighting each other, terrorists are playing havoc with the country.
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