Blood-bath in Peshawar
FORCES of religious fanaticism and sectarian violence are on the march again. Terror and horror stalks the land once more, the latest act of religious extremism was unleashed on Friday the day when the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) retained Pakistan on the “Grey List” and told Pakistan to plug the remaining loopholes in its financial system and it also happened on the day when after a gap of 24 years the Australian cricket team is in the country to play a series of test matches with our national team.
At the time of the Friday prayers congregation a suicide bomber walked calmly into the Shia mosque in the Qissa Khawani Bazaar in Peshawar city after shooting dead two policemen at the entrance and blew himself up in the midst of the people busy in their Friday worship.
This latest atrocity in the name of religion extinguished the life of 63 innocent Pakistanis and caused horrific injuries to another 200 people.
The regional affiliate of the Islamic state ISIS-K proudly claimed responsibility.The nation is once again in the vicious grip of religious terror and sectarian horror at the hands of organizations claiming to be the champions of Islam and this new wave of bloodshed and terror is definitely the result of the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan.
Sectarian violence is nothing new to Pakistan.Shia minority has suffered from the scourge of sectarian violence many times before by the extremist Sunni Islamist militants of Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, Sipah-i-Sahaba and now the Islamic State.
The last major attack by the ISIS-K was the suicide bombing at the Kabul Airport in August last year that claimed the life of about 170 people including 13 U.S.service members.
Immediately after the deadly attack the spokespersons and officials of the state apparatus began their usual litany of international conspiracy, foreign hands and enemy of Islam behind the latest tragedy.
In this day and age it will not be possible for the government to hide behind the fig leaf of excuses as it is very clear that this is the work of our own home grown religious monsters and their supporters and helpers.
As a result of the Taliban resurgence in Afghanistan the situation in Pakistan has become very volatile once again.
The country is once again a focal point for the terrorist gangs formed in the name of religion and sectarian hatred.
Multiple groups of violent religious militants are once again wreaking havoc in the name of Islam in coordination with each other or independently.
Our security forces have been locked in a deadly embrace with the Pakistan Taliban or the TTP for the last two decades.
The TTP and the ISIS do not believe in democracy and their declared aim is to overthrow the Govt.
in Pakistan and establish an Islamic system or rule of the Sharia similar to the Islamic Emirate of the Taliban in Afghanistan.
After the fall of Kabul to the Taliban forces, Noor Wali Mehsud, the leader of the TTP, pledged an oath of allegiance to Haibatullah Akunzada and the Afghan Taliban.
The policy of the Imran Khan government is one of appeasement and support of the Taliban so they are now in a comfortable position to continue their blood thirsty activities in the country.
The death toll from the Peshawar bombing is still rising, many of the injured are still between life and death and the media is full of horrific images of blood splattered belongings of the victims and body parts strewn all over the mosque floor.
The city of Peshawar and the entire country is in a state of mourning and this attack calls for some introspection and a change of the Taliban appeasement policy followed by the Imran Khan regime.
TTP and ISIS are two deadly forces to be reckoned with and the Taliban appeasement policy will not work.
The government has to accept the bitter fact that this is not the last, the worst is yet to come and our security forces have to be ready and equipped to meet this challenge.
Religious and sectarian militancy is thriving in Pakistan as a consequence of the Taliban takeover in Kabul.
Imran Khan’s jubilation on the Taliban victory in Kabul last year has resulted in the rise of terrorist attacks in Pakistan and the false hopes that the Taliban will control the TTP or ISIS have proved to be very wrong.
Since the rebirth of the Taliban in Kabul, Pakistan has been hit by a wave of brutal violence by the Islamic militants and dozens of security personnel including some officers have been killed along the border with Afghanistan and most attacks have been claimed by the TTP.
Pakistan has asked the Kabul regime to hand over militants attacking Pakistan but they have not handed over any militant as yet even though the Afghan Taliban say their territory will not be used to launch attacks against anyone.
About time that the Imran Khan regime change their policy of appeasement and support of the Taliban before irreparable damage is done to the country.
—The writer is Professor of History, based in Islamabad.
