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On Monday, terrorists used machine guns and grenades to launch a savage attack on a police training academy in Manawan, leaving 15 policemen dead and 150 injured. Eyewitness accounts estimate some 20 militants carried out the attack and that at least 11 explosions were heard through the course of the morning.
This attack comes on the heels of the militant attack against the Sri Lankan cricket team, which occured on March 3, 2009. Before that, the penultimate day of the World Performing Arts Festival was marred by three explosions on November 22, 2008.
Why is Lahore increasingly the target of terrorist attacks? Does the ongoing political tussle in the Punjab have any relation to the security situation? Who is responsible for ensuring the safety of Lahore’s residents? How can the Walled City be secured against terrorist attacks?
Are you in Lahore? Are you or anyone you know close to the police academy? If yes, please share eyewitness accounts from Manawan with Dawn.com.
People in Pakistan need to understand the basics of the current voilance perpetuated by the taliban and their increasing influence on the state and people. Its roots are in dark period of Zia’s regime. His effort to islamize the country initiated the the mashroomed growth of religious seminaries financed by the Arab Oil, in the country where poor students were bainwashed and indoctrainated with a particular brand of islam. The graduates of these seminaries number in hundrands of thousand and now want to implement their brand of islam on Pakistan. What is happening now had to happen, the events outside pakistan i.e. 9/11, American war in Iraq and Afghanistan has very little impact on it. Hence now the people of Pakistan should stop blaming India, American policies and the current politician and focus on the real issue. Reforming madrassas is the most important thing that needs to be carried out, the general population need to change their mindset, i.e. religion is a personal issue.
I was rubbing my eyes again and again to make sure i was not asleep when i read the comments from ‘Realist… posted Mar 31. Either he is not a muslim or an Indian. The reason i am saying this is he speaks truth, nothing but truth regarding the situation in Pakistan. For once there was no denial, no blaming India, no blaming RAW and he uses the ‘R’ world (Religion), admits the mistakes. Do we have more pakistanis of his ilk. I hope he is a pakistani in the first place.
Hasn’t the old adage come true…
“Those who live by the sword die by it”
Can Pakistan be salvaged. Chances are very remote if they do not shed the religion being used as a tool.
Brothers,
Please explain this problem to me:
1. In all its declared objectives, America has failed terribly over the last 7 years.
2. According to folks here, America is conducting a highly successful covert game.
Why is it that the same America is incompetent overtly but a raging success covertly?
Or, perhaps #2 above is just in peoples’ imagination?
I just think that we have had enough of this non-sense. We need to start striking these goons who in the name of Islam do things as they want too. These people have to be treated in a way that we should make an example out of them so that next time another organization would think twice before even attempting to manipulate peace or try to destabilize Pakistan.
But the sad part is, we lack leadership in every single department of Pakistan. All are hungry for power, money and for such leaders, country comes in second.
Look at the positive for a minute. at least these guys killed themselves or stuck around to be killed.
Else, just like the Sri Lankan cricket team attack , the Pakistani police would have to issue first their wonderful deductions :
– maybe India did it
– We have arrested a boat load of innocent people
– Okay , so its not India
– We are about to catch the real guys who did it
– Aww crap… lets hope there is another attack and Pakistanis forget about this one, because we are clueless and can’t bring anyone to justice!
Our country is facing social, economical, and political problems. The solution, I think is:
Very strong judicial system which delivers justice in no time.
Education of masses
Restructuring of political system which would enable poor people to perform public service. Governement should provide finances to poor citizens who want to run for public office and can show popularity by gathering 1000 or so signatures like in USA.
Put computerized controls on everything to eliminate corruption
This is getting worst everyday and we are all responsible for that.
Fight against terrorism can never be win by wepons or put barriers or rules for entry in punjab as it was sujjested earlier.
We need to build a complete infrastructure for that matter.
1.) by having a rule of law in true term not alleged by some polictical movements or voilent marches
2.) true democracy not by killing eachother and getting sympothy votes or by generals turned presidents
3.) educational movement. by spreading education to everyone in the country and when the term education is used it does not mean that everyone shouold learn how to write and read but educate people to make right choice between right and wrong
4.) social values by giving the best upgrading to your children and for husbands to giving the best oppourtunites to their wives to stand as an individual.
5.) circulation of money, the wealth of pakistan should be spent on the right things with the right means. setting a STOP on curroption.
6.) Religion: by having one true form of islam not all those differnet movements and madrasas… i think all those organisation that voilate the world in the name of islam should be officially baned in pakistan and it should not be allowed to send children to any sort of madrasas boardings, the best of all way to learn quran is by our mothers, and we should discourage madrasas!!
The best of all weapons is YOUTH of pakistan to stand to fulfil all above given, it is time to say no and react for the rights. We cannot always blame on our politions.
and key to achieve all those goals is Tolerance…May allah help us all
I fail to understand Why Pakistan negotiated on SWAT with Talibans.
This is a wake up call else Pakistan in bound to get dose of its own medicine.
it has to come out of Anti-India Tactics & concenterate on its Enconomy
Pakistan is nuclear. You know who is doing this, Nuke them!! Nothing less will stop them from moving one city to another, Islamabad may be next! May sound extreme but you tell me ,how you can stop this.
ISI and Army is Riding a tiger called Taliban. Pervez musharraf claimed that every pakistani must respect and feel proud of ISI and Army to keep Pakistan in place.
Now it indirectly means to keep Pakistan proud, Taliban must be respected and felt proud of. If the so called “leaders” have this mind set then the result will be what happens after “riding a tiger”. Simple and straight.
Reading this blog assured me that the nation is awakening. A vibrant civil society is taking its role. The Military-Mullah alliance that hijacked this nation and whose fifty fivers wrong policies pushed us in this direction, are over now.
An iron hand is required to deal with extremists. We have seen the results of determined policy of Sri Lankan government’s against LTTE. Government need to show the same determination against these Jihades. Whole nation is with it.
i am an indian muslim and disturbed by what is happening in Pakistan.
i believe that that pakistan needs some basic social changes and specially some education about india as well as europeansor americans. there is a persistent belief in most of the pakistanis that they are better than others and they have to right to criticise and even punish others if they think its correct according to what they know.
i have experienced first hand with pakistanis that i have encountered. the preconcieved notions and the distorted history.
it took a lot of time for pakistan to be where it is now and i think correction period has got to be slow as well. but as from outside pakistan i do not really see anybody in pakistan (apparently) to be able to start something fresh.
The menace of terrorism should be fought on war footing. I tell my soldiers, policemen, people of my country to fight against them. These people should be marginalised. If these guys think they can brainwash a few people, let us understand that united we can turn the whole country against them and kick them out of Pakistan.
Pakistanis need to decide what they want. it is a choice between living a decent life, caring for each other, prosperity, OR
blame others for their problems, turning blind eyes to homegrown terrorism,
Talk to the Taliban? Support the government? I cannot believe some the comments here.
Wake up people. The country is going up in smoke and we have a terrible (albeit well deserved) reputation as being a terrorist haven. There should not have been a negotiation with the taliban in the first place.
There is only one way we can move forward and that is to obliterate the taliban where ever they are. They are the true enemies of Islam. If we have to get America’s help to do it? Then so be it. These people should be wiped off the face of this earth. Anyone who condones their actions and/or sympathizes with them should hang their heads in shame: there is blood on your hands. May the deceased rest in peace.
I quote, with slight modification and appologies to John Donne (1624):
“No man is an island, entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the nation, a part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea, Pakistan is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manner of thine own, or of thine friend’s were.
Each man’s death diminishes me, For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know, for whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.”
Please realise that it is not just the policemen, “The Bells toll for thee”. It is time to act!
While neighboring countries have been busy becoming Economic Powerhouses, we continue to excel as training grounds for ‘heroes’ going to Kashmir and Afghanistan.
What has a Kashmiri or Afghan done for me? Why should I suffer because of the 3 entities (Government/ISI/Military) running my country in their own wise ways?
We can never solve a problem until we first admit having one.
Like Canada/US/Europe we had a great chance of an Economic stimulus between Iran/India/China but we have just been living in medieval rhetorics and serving others in the name of “religion”
Bravo.
It is very sad hearing this.as a human being every one condemns it.We should keep remember that it was all our wrong policies that we had against Afghanistan and brought Taliban into power,Afghans were right not to accept such people to rule them and God bless them for their efforts that made it to remove them by any means from their country and our Country (Pakistan) shouldn’t have let them to build hideouts in our cities as now we see the consequences. it is said the one who digs the dig falls himself in and now those Taliban whom we were supporting are against us. we can pray God to save us and our country from these extremists and we salute our army for the janbazi they showed defeating them.Thanks
It is very Simple to Save Pakistan from current crisis.
Media should take initiative to create awareness of modern world.
Please educate public of pakistan by informing them about Malayasia and Indonesia that being Muslim country what progress they have made and put their country on International Map.
Baitullah Mehsud has confessed about three recent attacks including on Police Training School in Lahore.
I think the leaders of Tahreek Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Tahreek Insaf Pakistan (TIP), Jamiat Islami Pakistan (JIP)including some media anchors should call a All Terrorism Supporter Conference (ATAC) to decide future of Pakistani muslims.
These parties should announce openly to takeover against supporters of America and globalization.
I believe this entire game is being played by the US itself. These so called religious fighters fighting in the name of religion are brainwashed puppets who have absolutely no knowledge of the Quran and Islam. It sometimes seems as if the goal of some elements is to firstly malign Islam as a religion and then try to destabilize Pakistan so as to take control over its nucluer assets.
Pakistan is an Islamic country founded for muslims to freely practice their religion.
People who want Pakistan to follow a sharia law such as is practiced in Saudi Arabia should realize that the economic conditions of both the countries are strikingly in contrast. for e.g we cannot carry out the punishment of having a thief’s hand cut off as in Saudi Arabia because the government is to first provide economic stability and proper environment where the needs of the common people are met, so as to ensure that people do not commit crime out of need. At the moment it is quite evident that the current government has failed to provide such an environment.
Secondly Pakistan lacks leadership at the political level and more so at the religious level. The common people have no understanding of religion and it would be easy for any religious leader to exploit them as we have seen happening in the past.
This problem cannot be changed overnight. Because this was not created in the last few months or years. This started a long time ago. It is only strong enough now to come out in the open.
The only way for Pakistan to a better tomorrow is to build a better nation by teaching the next generation better.
Give priority to education and health rather than figuring out if Kashmir belongs to India or Pakistan.
Talk to the Taliban more effectively.Let that region be autonomous while giving them a lucrative reason to give up killing anyone they deem appropriate.
We cant kill them all.No one can.So what do we do?
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We need the people of Pakistan to be trained fit and ready for what is to come ahead of us. Martial arts and commando techniques must be learnt by the youth to survive.
What a sad day for Punjab…in the 1900 century the Wahabis were thrown out by the muslims of then Hindustan,the same need to be done now !!