Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The attack on a police office in the heart of Lahore on Wednesday was the third big terrorist strike on the city in as many months. The first of these,in March,an attack on the touring Sri Lankan cricket team,had the effect of stiffening Pakistans isolation as a high-risk destination. In the repercussions for the countrys ability to show business as usual,these strikes have gathered a vast array of questions for Pakistan. There are,as the Pakistani media has been asking,questions about the security detail in major cities like Lahore. But,given the current offensive of the Pakistan army in the Swat Valley and adjoining regions,the ferocity of attacks like Wednesdays serves as a check on the countrys approach to the Taliban.
A Taliban spokesperson has claimed ownership of the attack,saying it was a response to the army operation in Swat. That is in any case a theory that was reflexively voiced moments after the attack,which left more than 20 dead and 300 injured. This attack comes after a recent peace deal with the Taliban in Swat came unstuck on account of the Talibans violation of its terms,the militants spread into neighbouring districts,and sustained pressure by the Obama administration on the Pakistan government to take the fight to the Taliban. Islamabad has a chequered history of taking on the Taliban in Pakistans northwestern areas. Peace deals dissolve into outright fighting into renewed efforts at truce,and so on. And so far,each twist has seen the Taliban groups emerge stronger,and take terror to Pakistans cities not just as a
measure of revenge but also offence.
This time round,as per government claims and eyewitness accounts from among the hundreds of thousands of civilians forced to flee their homes in the battleground areas,the armys action has been tough. The question,given past history,will however remain about its intentions to see the fight to its end.
