Sectarian attacks on Shias continue unabated
Ramadan is supposed to be the month when religious differences are put to rest and the entire Muslim population of the country becomes one. Apparently not, as twin suicide bombings rocked the Shia majority town of Parachinar in Khyber Pakthunkhwa. The project to eliminate the Shia population of the country has reached new peaks in the last year, with attacks in Quetta, Karachi and Gilgit-Baltistan all reaching new peaks. A year which began with Shia dharnas around the country and culminated in the dismissal of the Balochistan provincial government, portends more torment for those who belong to the sect with the government and security agencies reluctant to rein in the Sunni extremist groups responsible. So while the two attacks in Parachinar are condemnable, these are by no means unexpected.
The Shia population has put up brave resilience against the sectarian terrorism in the country. The 57 people who died and 200 injured as a result of the attack on the main marketplace in Kurram Agency’s capital city just before Iftar are further victims of this rather pronounced war. An unknown militant group Ansarul Mujahideen claimed the attack on the Shia Turi and Bangash tribes. The district administration suggested that it was a “blessing” that the attackers failed to target Friday congregations, where the casualties would have undoubtedly been larger. The fact that government officials are grabbing at straws is the saddest part. The communal cleansing is rarely admitted, let alone much done about it. The Shia Majlis-e-Wahdutul Muslimeen, leading the campaign against the Hazara killings, had offered to support PML-N presidential candidate Mamnoon Hussain against assurances of peace and security to the Shia community.
The continuing attacks are a sign of the continuing apathy of the government towards the issue. It is business as usual for sectarian extremists who have nothing to fear from the state. The killings have not shown any signs of going away and sectarian outfits only appear to be growing from strength to strength. The state appears to have abdicated its responsibility and is looking towards a repeat of the sectarian violence in the 1990s, when both Shia and Sunni militants would target each other, after the Zia-era government let Sunni extremists become powerful on its watch. The PML-N and the PTI are already questioned over their credentials regarding extremist groups. The time has come for the government, military and security agencies to firm up over the matter. With the LeJ chief Malik Ishaq out of jail and Ahl Sunnah Waljammat head Ahmed Ludhianvi openly campaigning in the election, the trust of the Shia population is on the wane. Let the State be warned that its silence could lead to a worse situation.
