That yesterday's carnage in Karachi is profoundly gruesome is a fact that has found its best expression in the measured and sober remarks of Prince Karim Aga Khan. According to him, the Ismailis are a peaceful global community living in harmony with other religious and ethnic groups in many countries across the world, including Muslim countries. There is no doubt about what the spiritual head of the Ismaili community has said about the people he represents across the world. A key but grim dimension of this ghastly act is that the Islamic State, which has wreaked violence across the Middle East on an unprecedented scale, has claimed the responsibility for the attack; its first terrorist activity in Pakistan. How ironic and unfortunate it is that the government, including the country's Foreign Office, had been dismissing reports about IS's tapping support, however insignificant, in the country. IS's presence in the country will definitely increase the workload of our law enforcement agencies that have already been fighting terrorists and extremists across the country.
The killings near Karachi's Safoora Chowrangi were well-planned and obviously the killers knew of the bus route and its timings. The bus itself, which had been driven after the attack to the nearby Memon Hospital, was blood-drenched and riddled with bullet holes. Strong condemnation will not do. We have to tackle the masterminds of this episode. And, there should be no connivance between people who are in authority and the terrorists. Suspending and transferring police officers is not the answer. Targeting the Ismaili community is meant to internationalise the terrorism issue.
The Karachi operation now needs to be sustained and continued. Law enforcement agencies (Rangers) in collaboration with police are playing a vital role. Focusing on tribal areas is not enough. The scope and width of operation against terrorism needs to be expanded to the settled areas of Punjab, Sindh and KPK. However, the law enforcing agencies need help from people to give them leads. This is only possible if there is an effective witness protection programme in operation, since average citizens are unarmed and they would need protection of the state. This was indeed a mass execution of the innocent and peaceful persons of a particular community, which is well-organised and also lends a helping hand to others in the community, in particular, and rest of society in general.
Obviously the aim is to hurt the economy of Pakistan. It would be a long and painful fight. Let us be very clear about this. There are no good or bad terrorists. Terrorists' objective is to create terror on the minds of average citizens. So let us not play ducks and drakes. And, fight these terrorists as well as their allies. And, give them no space to hide. They need to be exposed. Our leaders - both in civil and military - now need to wake up and stop behaving like an ostrich. People are fed up with ritual condemnations. They want action against these killers. This is only possible with better intelligence gathering and co-ordinated action envisaged in the National Action Counter Terrorism Plan. Progress on this plan is needed urgently. Military courts and hanging of murderers and target killers is not enough. Let us avoid what these terrorists acts are meant to achieve - a big splash on the electronic media. That unfortunately has been obligingly done by the electronic media. Think twice before you do this! Are we helping or defeating the objective of these terrorists? It is heartening to note that a high-level meeting chaired by prime minister Nawaz Sharif and attended, among others, by army chief General Raheel Sharif, at Sindh Governor's House last night sent a strong message across: the nation is not going to get cowed down by such cowardly acts and that this will not deter it to combat the scourges of terrorism and extremism in society with renewed resolve and determination.