There will be no denying the fact that Pakistan has been passing through a very difficult time at the moment and there is possibility that this land of the pure will vanish if the same rulers remain in power. Actually now there is urgent need of a positive change. This impression is wrong that there is democracy in Pakistan. At the moment Pakistan is being ruled by feudal and war lords.
It is interesting to note that rulers have still been using the name of Talib. Actually writer of the script of this drama has chosen the name of Talib as this word is being used by the students of religious schools. Talib is a Pashto language word being used for the student of Madrassah. But the fact is that those who have been fighting the war against the world are not Taliban and they are hardcore criminals.
According to a comment by a leading newspaper, former interior minister and chief of his faction of the PPP Aftab Khan Sherpao suffered the third suicide attempt on his life on Saturday while returning from addressing a public rally in Charsadda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The lone suicide bomber, apparently unable to access the rally because of stringent security arrangements, walked out of an open field and into the path of Mr Sherpao's returning convoy and blew himself up. The blast killed a policeman and wounded eight other people, including MPA Muhammad Ali Khan. The injured are believed to be out of danger. Sherpao's son Sikandar Sherpao also received minor injuries. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility, justifying the targeting of Sherpao for his role as interior minister in Musharraf's regime, during which the Taliban were attacked by the security forces. The TTP spokesman vowed to try again and again until they achieved their goal. The incident reflects the inherent difficulties attendant upon safeguarding political personalities and their supporters, especially in public appearances. While the security agencies can be commended for their foolproof security arrangements at the venue of the public rally, which did not allow any unwelcome elements to gain access, the fact that the returning convoy could so easily be targeted is cause for concern. Admittedly, guarding each and every inch of the route the Sherpao convoy was taking is a near impossibility, and cannot be considered the answer to the conundrum of preventing terrorist attacks. Strictly speaking, as we have argued repeatedly in this space, there is little if any chance of stopping a suicide bomber once he has embarked on his mission. The only possibility is if he can be pre-empted from starting his deadly journey. Pre-emption implies good prior intelligence information. That in turn implies not just keeping an eye from the outside on potential or actual terrorists, but the capacity and ability to infiltrate the terrorist groups to have insider information in a timely manner. So far the track record in this regard does not inspire much confidence.
The attack on Sherpao's convoy has grave implications. Mr Sherpao's public meeting was of the nature of a build up for the expected general elections some time later this year or early next. When viewed in conjunction with the attack on the ANP rally the other day in the same region, genuine fears have arisen about the threat to the election campaigns of all political parties, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in particular and all over the country in general. Public gatherings inherently offer temptations to the terrorists to inflict massive damage and casualties. To prevent the terrorists from holding the democratic process hostage, a process they clearly see as their greatest political challenge, the country's security agencies must revisit their existing strategy and tactics against terrorism and work out plans for the especially challenging task of safeguarding the political leaders and their supporters from the unwanted attentions of the mayhem mongers.
The End