- At least 10 dead
The blast at Data Darbar in Lahore was not just the second at the Sufi shrine, but also threw into doubt the official claim, much trumpeted, that terrorism was being brought under control, indeed had been so brought, more or less. One of the most noticeable aspects is that an Elite Force detachment was targeted. This brings to mind memories of the blast in February 2017 at Charing Cross, when 13 people, including a DIG, were killed. Then in July 2017, a blast at the Arfa Karim Tower killed 26, including nine policemen. Ever since March 2008, when the FIA was first targeted, terrorists have tried to take out policemen, thus wearing down the steel framework of the state. It must not be seen as an attack on Data Darbar (50 people died in the 2010 attack), as this was not apparently meant to target devotees but policemen, even though the Tehrik Taliban Pakistan, who have claimed responsibility, are known to have an antipathy to Sufis and shrines, having attacked them before.
The Punjab police would be rendered jittery by the latest attack, particularly as it is facing a crisis of leadership, with the third IGP having taken office since the present government took over. The DIG Operations Lahore was recently changed by the new IGP. Under these circumstances, the police does not seem in a position to be able to tackle the menace of fresh terrorism. The responsibility for law and order rests with the provincial government, which is headed by someone who had never headed the administration of anything larger than a tehsil. However, it should not be forgotten that he was selected for the job by Prime Minister Imran Khan, who himself had no experience of handling law and order problems until he won through to his present post.
Perhaps the most worrisome aspect of the whole affair is the IGP’s blithe statement that there was no intelligence warning of such an attack. An attack of such horrific dimensions cannot take place without leaving behind some trace, and it is the job of the intelligence agencies to gather such traces. Is this intelligence failure the result of laziness, or because the system has been compromised? The nation cannot afford further attacks to find out.
