EDITORIAL: Violence revisited
Source: daily times
As Karachi buried its dead, it was a grim reminder of the recent sectarian terror wave that has enveloped the largest city of Pakistan. The blast on the day of Ashura, in which at least 43 people were killed and dozens more wounded in Karachi, was still fresh in memory when another blast rocked a bus going to the Chehlum procession, killing more than a dozen people and injuring scores of others on Friday. Women and children were also among the dead and injured. The procession marks the end of the 40-day mourning period commemorating the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain in Karbala. The injured were taken to the Jinnah Hospital where less than two hours later there was another blast in its parking lot near the emergency ward, killing 13 more and injuring dozens others. The death toll has risen to 31 overnight. These ruthless terrorist acts cannot be condemned enough. It is with heavy heart that we heave a sigh of relief at another bomb being discovered in the hospital premises before it could be detonated, as it would definitely have caused even more casualties and destruction.
What is of great concern is that the terrorists successfully managed to set off two bombs within a span of two hours while a third bomb plot was foiled, no thanks to the security agencies. Jinnah Hospital was the nearest hospital and inevitably the victims of the first bomb blast were taken there, but not enough security measures were taken to protect their relatives and the medical staff. Granted that it was a chaotic time and the law enforcement agencies were busy at the blast’s site, but ignoring a soft target such as the hospital was a major lapse. The failure of the bomb disposal squad and the Rangers to detect the third bomb highlights the inadequacies prevalent in the whole security planning and bomb detection regime. While it was a very sad day for the relatives of those who died or got injured in the two blasts, this was no reason for the people to manhandle the police personnel and the media. In such circumstances, tempers are surely high, but we must all show restraint. Security personnel and the media have also been victims of countless terror attacks. We have to stand together in fighting this menace and not turn on each other, as that is exactly what the terrorists want.
The hydra of sectarianism has spread its venomous tentacles all over Pakistan for the past many years since the Ziaul Haq era. But never had the country witnessed this kind of virulent anti-Shia violence. The government must take note of this rising sectarianism and come down hard on the sectarian militant outfits. If we extrapolate a little further, we can see a developing nexus between these outfits and al Qaeda. Iraq saw the same type of sectarianism on Friday when a bomb attack killed at least 23 Shia pilgrims and wounded more than 140 during the chehlum ceremony in Karbala. A series of suicide attacks have seen dozens of Shia pilgrims killed in recent days in Iraq. Authorities suspect al Qaeda and other Sunni insurgent groups are responsible for the attacks in Iraq. The diabolical nexus between al Qaeda and our sectarian outfits cannot be ruled out under these circumstances. The world has to wake up to this universal threat and make concerted efforts to root out these ruthless terror networks. Terrorism transcends all borders and is not limited to any one country now. Both Iraq and Pakistan need the help of the international community in fighting this rising militancy. If this nexus is not nipped in the bud, chaos will follow the world over. *
SECOND EDITORIAL: The politics of agreement
After not seeing eye to eye on a number of points, the PPP and PML-N have finally reached a consensus on the draft of the Accountability Commission Bill (ACB). Initial impediments to the drafting of the bill involved reservations from the PML-N quarters, where a number of PPP-suggested clauses were deemed unacceptable. What is noteworthy is the PPP stance to concede to the other party’s concerns: reservations related to the timeframe of investigations, the fact that the PML-N did not want to see the commission put under the Law Ministry, and the status of the offence of corruption. The PPP on all counts has made changes in the bill’s blueprint by allowing accountability to extend back to 1985 instead of just three to five years, making the commission an autonomous body and corruption a non-bailable offence.
Many factions see this as a ‘caving in’ of sorts on the part of the PPP, where almost every demand made by the PML-N has been met. But not everything is so black and white; shades of gray tell another story entirely. At a time when the coalition is at its weakest, with fissures appearing whenever an issue — be it political, social, legal or otherwise — needs to be addressed, the PPP seems to actually be playing a statesmanlike role to save the coalition from crumbling. By showing flexibility on the demands of the PML-N, President Asif Zardari and company may be trying to avoid an unravelling of the alliance between the two largest mainstream parties, but since no reciprocal gesture has been forthcoming from the PML-N, this approach is causing heartburn in the ranks of the PPP, as was witnessed in the Punjab Assembly the other day when the party voted for the PML-N’s local government Bill despite reservations.
Now that both parties have converged on the draft, it is of vital importance to see this accountability bill go through and be implemented in letter and spirit. This is critical if a new chapter is to be ushered in and a departure made from the murky past of politically partisan and motivated so-called accountability. The commission formed to check rampant corruption prevalent in all sectors of the government, bureaucracy and society ought to be composed of members whose credibility is unquestionable and whose reputations — and records — are untarnished. There should not exist even the slightest trace of an ulterior agenda; we have seen too many similar commissions in the past go up in smoke due to their leanings towards partisanship and bias. *
What is of great concern is that the terrorists successfully managed to set off two bombs within a span of two hours while a third bomb plot was foiled, no thanks to the security agencies. Jinnah Hospital was the nearest hospital and inevitably the victims of the first bomb blast were taken there, but not enough security measures were taken to protect their relatives and the medical staff. Granted that it was a chaotic time and the law enforcement agencies were busy at the blast’s site, but ignoring a soft target such as the hospital was a major lapse. The failure of the bomb disposal squad and the Rangers to detect the third bomb highlights the inadequacies prevalent in the whole security planning and bomb detection regime. While it was a very sad day for the relatives of those who died or got injured in the two blasts, this was no reason for the people to manhandle the police personnel and the media. In such circumstances, tempers are surely high, but we must all show restraint. Security personnel and the media have also been victims of countless terror attacks. We have to stand together in fighting this menace and not turn on each other, as that is exactly what the terrorists want.
The hydra of sectarianism has spread its venomous tentacles all over Pakistan for the past many years since the Ziaul Haq era. But never had the country witnessed this kind of virulent anti-Shia violence. The government must take note of this rising sectarianism and come down hard on the sectarian militant outfits. If we extrapolate a little further, we can see a developing nexus between these outfits and al Qaeda. Iraq saw the same type of sectarianism on Friday when a bomb attack killed at least 23 Shia pilgrims and wounded more than 140 during the chehlum ceremony in Karbala. A series of suicide attacks have seen dozens of Shia pilgrims killed in recent days in Iraq. Authorities suspect al Qaeda and other Sunni insurgent groups are responsible for the attacks in Iraq. The diabolical nexus between al Qaeda and our sectarian outfits cannot be ruled out under these circumstances. The world has to wake up to this universal threat and make concerted efforts to root out these ruthless terror networks. Terrorism transcends all borders and is not limited to any one country now. Both Iraq and Pakistan need the help of the international community in fighting this rising militancy. If this nexus is not nipped in the bud, chaos will follow the world over. *
SECOND EDITORIAL: The politics of agreement
After not seeing eye to eye on a number of points, the PPP and PML-N have finally reached a consensus on the draft of the Accountability Commission Bill (ACB). Initial impediments to the drafting of the bill involved reservations from the PML-N quarters, where a number of PPP-suggested clauses were deemed unacceptable. What is noteworthy is the PPP stance to concede to the other party’s concerns: reservations related to the timeframe of investigations, the fact that the PML-N did not want to see the commission put under the Law Ministry, and the status of the offence of corruption. The PPP on all counts has made changes in the bill’s blueprint by allowing accountability to extend back to 1985 instead of just three to five years, making the commission an autonomous body and corruption a non-bailable offence.
Many factions see this as a ‘caving in’ of sorts on the part of the PPP, where almost every demand made by the PML-N has been met. But not everything is so black and white; shades of gray tell another story entirely. At a time when the coalition is at its weakest, with fissures appearing whenever an issue — be it political, social, legal or otherwise — needs to be addressed, the PPP seems to actually be playing a statesmanlike role to save the coalition from crumbling. By showing flexibility on the demands of the PML-N, President Asif Zardari and company may be trying to avoid an unravelling of the alliance between the two largest mainstream parties, but since no reciprocal gesture has been forthcoming from the PML-N, this approach is causing heartburn in the ranks of the PPP, as was witnessed in the Punjab Assembly the other day when the party voted for the PML-N’s local government Bill despite reservations.
Now that both parties have converged on the draft, it is of vital importance to see this accountability bill go through and be implemented in letter and spirit. This is critical if a new chapter is to be ushered in and a departure made from the murky past of politically partisan and motivated so-called accountability. The commission formed to check rampant corruption prevalent in all sectors of the government, bureaucracy and society ought to be composed of members whose credibility is unquestionable and whose reputations — and records — are untarnished. There should not exist even the slightest trace of an ulterior agenda; we have seen too many similar commissions in the past go up in smoke due to their leanings towards partisanship and bias. *
Comments