The terrorist attack on Data Darbar shrine in Lahore on July 1 is a stark reminder, if any new reminder was needed, of the growing power of militancy in Punjab. In the past the suicide bombers used to come from the tribal areas. They parked with local militant groups that worked as the facilitator for the terrorist attack from the tribal areas. Now, local groups have acquired enough skills to engage in violence of higher scale, involving suicide attacks and bombings against the ordinary people.
The incident also showed that the political leaders and the government are divided on the threat of terrorism and some of them express sympathy for the Taliban and other militants. This pro-militancy sentiment runs deep in the official circles and up to the middle level in the military.
The absence of unity of mind in the political and societal circles on terrorism is caused mainly by the inability and unwillingness of civilian leaders to take a categorical stand against those engaging in suicide attacks, bombings and hostage taking. Leaving aside Islamic political parties that support the Taliban and Islamic militancy, several political parties and groups maintain ambiguous stance towards Islamic militancy and terrorist attacks.
The major problem is in the province of the Punjab because the ruling PMLN maintains an ambiguous position on Islamic militancy and the Taliban. Its leadership condemns terrorist attacks but avoids criticizing any specific militant group, including the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The PMLN has several leaders in its senior cadre that share the Jamaat-i-Islami perspective on terrorism. However, it also has leaders that publicly criticize Islamic hard line groups.
Nawaz Sharif has avoided giving a straight line on terrorism in order to accommodate differences of opinion in the party and to sustain its electoral support among the Islamists and the political right, making the PMLN announce some compensation for the victims of the incident.
The Punjab government does not appear to be convinced that many Islamic hard line groups and their break-away factions based in the Punjab have developed strong linkages with the Taliban based in the tribal areas. These groups are involved in four types of activities: work with some Taliban-type groups in the tribal areas against Pakistan’s security authorities deployed there; get training and return to mainland Pakistan; undertake their own violent attacks to pursue their ideological-political agendas; and serve as local handler or host for suicide bombers or other militants visiting their city on an attack-mission or for any other purpose.
There were two incidents of terrorism in Lahore. First, two religious centres of the Ahmadya Community in Lahore were attacked by terrorists in the last week of May. Two days later a small group of militants attacked the Jinnah Hospital to free one of their partners who was being given treatment after being arrested by the police. This attempt failed but it showed that these groups had become very confident of their capacity to pursue their agendas. About 100 people were killed in these attacks.
The Punjab government was cautious in expressing sympathy for the victims of these attacks, fearing the wrath of hard line Islamic clergy. However, there were people who rose above extreme religious views to discuss the attacks on the Ahmadya centres in the context of a nation-state and its citizens. Unlike the orthodox religious hierarchy they argued that it is the state’s basic responsibility to protect all citizens, irrespective of their religion, sect, caste and region.
The orthodox Islamic clergy was perturbed by the media’s sympathy for the Ahmadi victims of the terrorist attack. They quickly returned to their anti-Ahmadya community tirade to remind the people of their “anti-Pakistan and anti-Islam” disposition. Some attributed the attack to what they described as an intra-Ahmadya conflict and that the Taliban could not be involved because no Muslim could ever launch such an action against a religious minority because Islam does not allow that.
The divided mindset of the leadership on terrorism and sympathy for Islamic hard line groups at the societal level gives the militants enough space to sustain and flourish. The ordinary people do not join them in their violent activities but they maintain a soft corner towards them and avoid reporting their activities to the security authorities. This is partly because of fear of retribution by militant groups and partly because they are not convinced that violent attacks are done by these groups, including the Taliban.
The Data Darbar incident has shocked all sections of the populace because he is one of the most revered saints of Pakistan. This terrorism incident and other incidents in Lahore and elsewhere in Pakistan during the last six month underline the need to develop a shared political stand on terrorism and the groups involved in it. The political leaders and societal activists should take the lead in evolving a shared approach.
Terrorism has become such a threat that different political parties and societal group cannot have the luxury of playing their partisan politics. They need to recognize that unless terrorism is controlled, Pakistan’s economy cannot improve and Pakistan’s capacity to function autonomously at the international level will be greatly compromised.
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