Stop spreading it further
Terrorist attacks by the militants on mosques, churches and other places of worship have been condemned by all sections of society. This indicates that the vast majority of Pakistanis is opposed to violence conducted in the name of religion. This explains why despite repeated attempts by the extremists to incite different sects against each other, harmony has so far prevailed. What happened in Rawalpindi on Friday has therefore traumatized many. While full facts are still to be revealed, the killings and burning of property shows there were serious lapses in peace keeping.
Maintaining peace in Karachi during the Ashura posed a big problem to the metropolitan and provincial administrations. Besides being a megapolis inhabited with some 20 million people, the city is infested with several terrorist groups including various outfits that are sectarian in nature. A somewhat similar situation prevailed in Quetta where the Hazara community has been targeted several times this year. Equally sensitive were Gilgit-Baltistan, Peshawar, Dera Ismail Khan, Kohat, and Hangu. The credit goes to Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and Gilgit-Baltistan administrations for foiling the sinister designs of militant organizations and maintaining peace. The success was achieved by planning well ahead of time, plugging gaps and loopholes, arresting suspects, and keeping round the clock surveillance for days.
The Punjab government failed to maintain peace in Rawalpindi despite claims by the chief minister to have provided four-ring security cover to Muharram processions. It was also promised that senior officers would remain in the field to monitor the working of the staff, while the cabinet committee on law and order would daily hold its meetings for reviewing security reports from across the province. The Punjab administration flunked owing to not paying heed to words of warning from Karachi after five members of the Shia community were gunned down in retaliation of a similar number of the Sunni community were assassinated. The Karachi police chief had warned that a ‘conspiracy’ was being hatched ‘to fan Sunni-Shia clashes’. Apparently the warning was not Karachi-specific.
The Rawalpindi incident may have been prevented if enough police and Rangers were deployed at the point where the mayhem took place. That is indicative of a serious lapse. After the Rawalpindi rioting there is clear and present danger of similar sectarian clashes spreading to other cities. What is imperative now is a strict ban on spreading of hatred through speeches, pamphlets and audio and video cassettes. Those found to be involved in such an exercise must be awarded exemplary punishment to avoid a repeat.
