Sectarianism rearing its ugly head again
In a place where religion plays an important role, and sometimes a dominant one, sensitivities regarding the subject run deep. One could easily get distracted and embark upon a personal but misguided and crusade resulting in casualties. That’s what the terrorists and other miscreants like to exploit, and unfortunately they seem to be hell bent on achieving their target. Two bomb explosions, one at a shrine in Shikarpur and another on a religious rally near Jacobabad, leaving four killed and over 25 injured is not just a terror strike but could also be an attempt at driving a wedge of sectarianism between the relatively peaceful interior Sindh.
As both districts where the attacks took place border Balochistan, which itself has seen its share of terrorism, particularly the sectarian terrorism, the law enforcement agencies should better investigate if these incidents are not in retaliation of Shia killings in Quetta in the past few weeks. If that indeed is the situation, it is a highly dangerous one and needs to be checked urgently. But if it is not the case, the MO of the incidents also fits well on the Taliban militants, though striking on shrines in interior Sindh is not what they are known for. Whatever is the case, both provincial governments and the federal government need to work together to reach to the bottom of the issue as soon as possible. This gets priority also because the fallout, if the situation gets any worse, would be felt not just in the rural areas but also in major urban areas, including Karachi and Hyderabad, which the country can in no way afford, this being the election year.
In Jacobabad, the Pir of Qambar Sharif was injured while his grandson was killed in a roadside, remote controlled bomb detonation while the Shikarpur incident resulted in injuring Syed Hajan Shah, the gaddi nasheen. Considering how deep is the influence of pirs in the area, strike calls and protests are a given thing. The Sunni Tehreek’s call for strike in this regard helps no one though it could make matters worse. Moreover, some overzealous type in militant organisations could retaliate create a law and order nightmare. However, to ensure that the situation does not deteriorate any further, it is important for the government, on the one hand, to calm down the aggrieved party by negotiating with them and explaining to them that protests and strikes would not help them, and on the other hand it should launch an expedited inquiry into the incidents and catch the culprits before things get out of control.