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DAWN.COM | Columnists | Whose turn next?
Whose turn next?
By Irfan Husain
Please follow the link above to read the complete article.
Excerpts:
Currently, the Punjab government is still in denial about the presence of large and growing numbers of local terrorists on its soil. Here is what TheEconomist said recently:
“Extremists have had a base in the province since the late 1980s, when Punjabi veterans of the anti-Soviet Afghan jihad returned home and Pakistan’s ISI spy agency decided they could be put to use against India. Many suspect that Punjabi groups are still accorded some kind of protection by the ISI, though the agency denies it.
“Ministers and officials in the province draw a distinction between the Punjabi groups, whose activities they say are sectarian or directed mainly at India and whose avowed agenda is therefore not domestic violence (killing minorities apparently does not count), and the Pakistani Taliban, which is attacking the Pakistani state…”
This attempt to draw a line between terrorist groups who are active against our neighbours and those who attack domestic targets is a meaningless exercise in sophistry. The fact is that religious extremism is fuelling this violence, and it is impossible to distinguish between the motives of these gangs.
The Economist also notes the active presence of the virulently anti-Shia Sipah-i-Sahaba, as well as the Jaish-i-Mohammad and the Lashkar-i-Taiba in Punjab. The latter is widely believed to be behind the Mumbai atrocities of November 2008.
Apart from the Punjab government, large sections of the media are in denial about this threat. Indeed, home-grown terrorist groups have many cheerleaders among our TV chat show hosts. Until we all wake up to this threat, it will continue to grow. It won’t be long before those of us who do not sport long beards will become targets.
DAWN.COM | Columnists | Whose turn next?
Whose turn next?
By Irfan Husain
Please follow the link above to read the complete article.
Excerpts:
Currently, the Punjab government is still in denial about the presence of large and growing numbers of local terrorists on its soil. Here is what TheEconomist said recently:
“Extremists have had a base in the province since the late 1980s, when Punjabi veterans of the anti-Soviet Afghan jihad returned home and Pakistan’s ISI spy agency decided they could be put to use against India. Many suspect that Punjabi groups are still accorded some kind of protection by the ISI, though the agency denies it.
“Ministers and officials in the province draw a distinction between the Punjabi groups, whose activities they say are sectarian or directed mainly at India and whose avowed agenda is therefore not domestic violence (killing minorities apparently does not count), and the Pakistani Taliban, which is attacking the Pakistani state…”
This attempt to draw a line between terrorist groups who are active against our neighbours and those who attack domestic targets is a meaningless exercise in sophistry. The fact is that religious extremism is fuelling this violence, and it is impossible to distinguish between the motives of these gangs.
The Economist also notes the active presence of the virulently anti-Shia Sipah-i-Sahaba, as well as the Jaish-i-Mohammad and the Lashkar-i-Taiba in Punjab. The latter is widely believed to be behind the Mumbai atrocities of November 2008.
Apart from the Punjab government, large sections of the media are in denial about this threat. Indeed, home-grown terrorist groups have many cheerleaders among our TV chat show hosts. Until we all wake up to this threat, it will continue to grow. It won’t be long before those of us who do not sport long beards will become targets.
