JOIN USDastardly attack must shame cops
The slaughter of 45 Ismaili Shias in a bus in Karachi on Wednesday morning underscores yet again the extreme vulnerability of Pakistan’s religious minorities to terrorism. This is the second deadliest attack on minorities in Pakistan this year; in January, 62 Shias were killed in a suicide bombing. Several extremist groups, including Islamic State, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the Jundullah have claimed responsibility for the attack. Clarity on who masterminded this massacre may not come soon as terrorists like to take credit for violence whether or not they were responsible. Besides, there are a large number of sectarian and extremist outfits operating in Karachi and these have intricate links with each other. Investigators will need to probe not just the identity of the killers but their links to the security forces. Thousands of police, military and paramilitary personnel are deployed on the streets of Karachi. What were all of them doing while the six gunmen were spraying bullets into the bus passengers for over a period of 20 minutes?
The Ismaili Shias are a small Muslim community led by Aga Khan. They have been discriminated against, threatened and accused of being ‘unIslamic’ in Pakistan. This is the first time they have been targeted in this multi-ethnic city. The Pakistani state has played a central role in such targeting of religious minorities. With the state equating itself with Sunni Islam, those belonging to other religions and sects are looked upon as second-class citizens. Besides, during Gen Zia-ul Haq’s rule, Sunni militias were set up by the state to ‘defend’ the community. This provoked the Shias to set up their own private armies. Much bloodletting has followed since. Groups like the Ahmadiyas and the Ismailis have stayed away from the gun culture but are being slaughtered too. Wednesday’s massacre in Karachi indicates that nobody is safe in this city.
Karachi is Pakistan’s commercial hub. However, over the decades, this city has attained extreme notoriety more for its militias and mafias than for the enterprise of its residents. Gun battles, kidnaps and assassinations are routine here. If in the 1980s, it was battles between the security forces and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement that soaked Karachi’s streets with blood, since the 1990s, Pasthun-Mohajir battles for control of the drug trade account for most casualties. Thousands of innocent civilians have been killed in the crossfire. In a history pock-marked with violence, Wednesday’s massacre of a peaceful
people will stand out for its senseless depravity.