ATP on the Islambad Blast
This is one more in a string of blasts, including a recent one in Lahore. Neither the timing nor the location of this blast is without significance. It comes on the eve of the first meeting of the new National Assembly (on Monday) and in targets a location that is not only in the very heart of the Capital but a location that is frequented by foreigners and by high-level officials.
Those sending these dastardly messages of death know exactly who they are sending the message to. They are sending a message to Gen. Musharraf’s government reminding them that they have lost control of the country, they are sending a message to the incoming political parties to let them know that they should tread with care on the issue of extremism, and they are sending a message to the rest of the world that Pakistan is a dangerous place and will remain so no matter what happened in the elections or what happens on Monday.
But the most venomous message is being sent to the citizens of Pakistan. Each of these blasts- from Peshawar to Quetta to Karachi to Lahore to Rawalpindi, Islamabad and everywhere else (here, here, here) - is one more way for the extremists to mock us and to shout out in our face that it is they and not us who control our destiny… That it is they and not we who speak for Pakistan to the world at large… That it is they and their sick minds and not we and our aspirations and hopes who will define the future of the country. That is what they want us and the world to believe.