Viewpoint
By Dr Mujahid Ghazi
Chicago , IL
“Kitnay aadmi they? Woh chhay aur tumhari puri phoj, tera kiya baney ga Malik?” Someone sent me this text following the end of a major terrorist attack at PNS Mehran in Karachi.
Those who are young and haven’t seen Bollywood movie “Sholay” might not enjoy this joke. Joke or no joke, it is a painful fact that six terrorists were able to infiltrate a very important naval base amidst a high alert warning and were able to destroy two $30 million worth of aircrafts and kill 10 security personnel, including a young naval officer Lt. Yasir. People were glued to their TV sets for 17 hours watching the unfolding events with shock, grief, dismay and despair. Quoting the government sources the news reports gave a count of 20 terrorists in action. Quoting the same sources, there were reports that the terrorists had occupied a building and the security forces had surrounded them. After 17 hours of gun fight the Interior Minister Mr. Rehman Malik gave a statement that there were only six terrorists. Four of them were dead and two had escaped. Unconfirmed reports said that even those four were not killed by the security forces but they killed themselves to prevent being captured alive. Mr. Rehman Malik also claimed that the terrorists were dressed in foreign clothes. He should have explained what he meant by foreign clothes. Definitely they were not in miniskirts or Scottish Pipe Band jackets and kilts.
The whole incident raises the question of the security of sensitive installations in Pakistan. It will also enforce the argument of anti-Pakistan think tanks in the US and the West that Pakistan’s nuclear installations are not safe. It is ironic that the attacks on the naval personnel and installations started with the bombing of a bus on April 26 and two more such incidents occurred after that but surprisingly no precautionary measures were taken to foil the plans of terrorists, in spite of the threat continuously being received from Al-Qaeda and Taliban after the OBL operation in Abbotabad.
Pakistanis are a very resilient people. They have been through a lot when it comes to their own security. Now they are afraid that if the security forces are negligent to the degree that they cannot save themselves and their installations, how in the world would they be able to protect the civilians? Pakistan is truly becoming the Wild West with no security or protection of the citizens. If it would have happened in any other democratic country, people would have seen speedy resignations and dismissals but in Pakistan it is business as usual.
Senator John Kerry visited Pakistan, Gave a warning to the government and security forces to get their act right. Collected the tail of the helicopter. Issued a joint statement that in future any action on Pakistan’s soil will be done keeping the Pakistani government and army well informed. Contrary to that President Obama, in an interview before leaving for England, reiterated his policy of surprise attack on high profile targets and bluntly said that if the US finds another target in Pakistan like OBL, it will do the same.
Is the blood of our security personnel so cheap that the interior minister washes it now and then by his dumb statements and baseless assumptions? We have become a laughing stock in the eyes of the world. We need to send a strong message to the Government of Pakistan that enough is enough, we the people of Pakistan demand transparency and accountability. We want someone held accountable for these security lapses and negligence.
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