Balochistan Governor Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi said on Sunday that the deadly blast in Quetta was a evidence of the intelligence agencies’ failure to provide security to the citizens.
Terror came back to haunt the members of the Hazara community on Saturday when a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laded water tanker in a packed bazaar at HazaraTown. The death toll mounted to 83 on Sunday with over 190 injured.
Speaking to the media after visiting the victims at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), he said the intelligence agencies were either fearful of the terrorists or were impotent to fight the menace. “We are making our all out efforts to maintain peace and law-enforcement agencies have been given a free hand, but not tracking down the culprits despite all recourses is obviously their failure,” said the head of Balochistan where governor’s rule was imposed last months after the death of 100 people in three consecutive blasts in Quetta. Magsi announced Sunday a day of mourning over the incident.
A shutter down strike is being observed in the provincial capital and other parts of Balochistan to mourn Saturday’s deadly blast. The strike call was given by Majlis-e-Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen (MWM), Hazara Democratic Party, Shia Ulema Council, Quetta Yakjehti Council, Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Fiqah Jafria, Balochistan Shia Conference and others.
The governor also announced Rs 1 million for the families of the dead.
It was a serious intelligence failure, one of many in recent years.
I truly sympathize with all the minorities of Pakistan. Many of the perpetrators of violence be it against christians, ahmaddiyyas, shias, sufis, hindoos are motivated by reasons other than spiritual. It could be seizing land, suppressing them so that they act as slaves, plain hatred against people unlike them, jealousy….When the state (using madrassas) teaches its children to hate other cultures, linguistics, races, religions it is very easy for a whole nation to be seduced by the language of hate. The pakistani state sponsored terrorism (and maybe still does) for "strategic depth". LeJ against Iran, LeT, HuD, HM, HuM and all its offshoots against India for Kashmir, several Sikh militant organisations for Khalistan (Indian Punjab), Taliban and its offshoots against Afghanistan. Indians did the same for Tamil Tigers but grew wise after it turned against them.
One must realize that these terrorists do not exist in a vacuum. There is widespread support for it among the population. I hope that the youth of Pakistan realizes where the world is going and how the nation of Pakistan has been left behind. Thousands of people from Pakistan seeking better lives escape to other countries only to realize that even others cultures are now wary of them. Sometimes they have to lie and say they are Indians…a nation they despise.
I believe that in this information age, it will be difficult for militant ideologues to continue to brainwash the local population supported byu the state which wants to spread disinformation to pursue its "strategic depth". But I do hope that the "normal" population wakes up before thousands more are killed on this altar of hate.
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