More of such action needed
Resounding or even small successes against those terrorizing the country and weakening it, apart from massacring innocent civilians irrespective of age or gender, are few and far between. But, in what has been described as a major breakthrough, an intelligence agency swooped down on a reportedly Al-Qaeda affiliated communication centre located in Lahore’s bustling downscale locality Green Town and arrested a number of operatives. High-tech equipment, computers, handsets and communication tools, thousands of cell phone SIMs, telephone lines as well as arms and ammunition were seized from the site. Their interrogation led to further raids at other places in the city and some more arrests. While this laudable foray is a welcome bit of good news, certain aspects of the case are still a cause of concern.
The most worrisome fact is the extent and the ease with which sympathizers and fellow travellers of the deadly terrorist group appear to have penetrated not only the far flung areas and rural backwaters but also the major urban centres of the country. Indeed, melting imperceptibly in densely populated and socially heterogeneous areas such as Township, Kot Lakhpat or Green Town would hardly pose any problem to those well versed in the sinister life of a terrorist. In this case too, the neighbours apparently suspected nothing of the monster in their midst. Another alarming realization is how far the disease has spread in all segments of society, including the security services and the professional classes. The operation was shrouded in absolute secrecy with reportedly even the FIA being employed only for some unspecified ‘technical assistance’. But the stalwarts of the ‘redoubtable’ Punjab Police were excluded altogether. In the broader picture, this sorry state of affairs is also a reflection of our chickens coming home to roost, in that we failed miserably to invest in universal education, exposing the majority of our people to ignorance and superstition and an easy prey for extremist views. That the (so called) religious extremists are increasingly being drawn to the easy pickings of outright criminality is another sobering thought. In the present instance, the Green Town international gateway was being used to make telephone calls to the families of high-profile victims in extortion and ransom for kidnapping cases: the names of Ali Musa Gilani and Shahbaz Taseer have been mentioned in this context. These phone calls were untraceable and showed up on the receivers’ signals as emanating from Afghanistan and the tribal areas. And this represents yet another disturbing side of the equation, the increasing sophistication of the terrorists whether in the use of the IT or in military strategy and tactics, as in the case of the Bannu and DI Khan jailbreaks.
Despite all these negative aspects, the busting of this network, cracking down on those involved in sectarian killings and the capture of over 100 tonnes (don’t rub your eyes, its true) in Quetta are uplifting signs that the intelligence agencies are finally getting their act together. And it is about time, as it is not only late in the day, it is almost night.
