On November 02, 2014 – 8th of Moharram – when the security forces all around Pakistan were struggling to prevent any untoward incident spurred by sectarian conflict between Sunnis and Shias, a suicide bomber blew himself up some 500 meters from Wagha border on the Pakistani side. The explosion took place soon after the highly symbolic, well attended flag lowering ceremony; killing around 60 people including women and children and leaving approximately 150 injured. Among competing claims of the disgruntled militant groups it is hard to determine who masterminded this act and for what purpose.
Like other suicide attacks this also attracted media’s immediate attention with TV channels capturing agony of the bereaved and anxiety of those who were fortunate enough to have escaped death. For many of these media channels as well as their viewers however, this will soon become just another terrorist attack, another story of a crazy suicide bomber, another dreadful scene of dead bodies, and yet another episode in a series of many that will soon fall into oblivion. For few however the site and symbolism of flag lowering at Wagha has already started defining the potency of this particular incident. Not that this attack is essentially different from others, but it 'might be' and it is this possibility that makes it so much significant.
For many reasons, Wagha is not just another target and therefore should not be considered one. Regardless of the universality of pain of human lives lost – anywhere and everywhere – and the need for effective measures to prevent them unequivocally, this episode is more frightening than others because of the proximity of alarming possibilities it exposes and the risks it entails. At this moment few questions are too perturbing to avoid; What if, the suicide bomber had reached near the gate? What if this attack had killed people on both sides? And more terrifying what if it had happened on the other side of the border? These dreadful possibilities are scary. Given the high temperatures on both sides due to firing across LoC and the loud rhetoric that the Modi government maintains vis-à-vis Pakistan, how it would have reacted under such circumstances?
It reminds me of the umpteenth hypothetical war games that the Indian and Pakistani scholars and retired military officials have been playing over the last few years in the US sponsored crisis management exercises, where they speculate scenarios of terrorist attacks on high value targets inside the Indian Territory and analyze the responses such scenarios would generate. It often appears that in case of a future terrorist attack on the Indian Territory, Pakistan shall be considered guilty ‘unless proven innocent’ and therefore penalized. What does that mean, another military standoff, surgical strikes, or a WAR?
A suicide bomber having reached Wagha successfully is disconcerting. The governments on both sides need to appreciate the gravity of situation and take necessary steps to deal with ‘a crisis in waiting.’ Government of Pakistan needs to make sincere efforts to resolve problems with its neighbors. It also needs to take the threat of terrorism more seriously. The urgency to understand the sensitivity of targets and situations should not be downplayed. In what happened on Wagha, complacency of government in the wake of intelligence reports of an impending terrorist attack is criminal. And the inefficiency of security forces to prevent such incidents on places as sensitive as Wagha could have disastrous consequences. Certainly, becoming hostage to fear is neither an option nor a solution, it is nevertheless important not only to increase the level of institutional efficiency but also take into account the range of possibilities any future terrorist attack might expose us to. Managing perceptions and establishing credibility – both among our neighbors and the world community at large – of our sincerity in the struggle to eradicate militancy as a tool of strategy is as important as the effort on ground is.
On the other hand, it is high time for BJP government to realize the real nature of the threat of terrorism we in this region are faced with. In case of a similarly unfortunate attack in future on the other side of border, accusing Pakistan for someone else’s crime would only push the Indian government fall into a ‘commitment trap’ that might eventually prove counter-productive. Therefore, it would be wise to lower down the anti-Pakistan rhetoric and sensitize the people in India to the challenges that have spread far and wide. Objective media coverage of terrorist attacks on both sides from a humanist perspective may help people develop empathy for the pain that is inflicted upon all of us - it’s only a matter of time and turn. As a result a collective consciousness may help create a constituency for joint struggle against terrorism.
Like other suicide attacks this also attracted media’s immediate attention with TV channels capturing agony of the bereaved and anxiety of those who were fortunate enough to have escaped death. For many of these media channels as well as their viewers however, this will soon become just another terrorist attack, another story of a crazy suicide bomber, another dreadful scene of dead bodies, and yet another episode in a series of many that will soon fall into oblivion. For few however the site and symbolism of flag lowering at Wagha has already started defining the potency of this particular incident. Not that this attack is essentially different from others, but it 'might be' and it is this possibility that makes it so much significant.
For many reasons, Wagha is not just another target and therefore should not be considered one. Regardless of the universality of pain of human lives lost – anywhere and everywhere – and the need for effective measures to prevent them unequivocally, this episode is more frightening than others because of the proximity of alarming possibilities it exposes and the risks it entails. At this moment few questions are too perturbing to avoid; What if, the suicide bomber had reached near the gate? What if this attack had killed people on both sides? And more terrifying what if it had happened on the other side of the border? These dreadful possibilities are scary. Given the high temperatures on both sides due to firing across LoC and the loud rhetoric that the Modi government maintains vis-à-vis Pakistan, how it would have reacted under such circumstances?
It reminds me of the umpteenth hypothetical war games that the Indian and Pakistani scholars and retired military officials have been playing over the last few years in the US sponsored crisis management exercises, where they speculate scenarios of terrorist attacks on high value targets inside the Indian Territory and analyze the responses such scenarios would generate. It often appears that in case of a future terrorist attack on the Indian Territory, Pakistan shall be considered guilty ‘unless proven innocent’ and therefore penalized. What does that mean, another military standoff, surgical strikes, or a WAR?
A suicide bomber having reached Wagha successfully is disconcerting. The governments on both sides need to appreciate the gravity of situation and take necessary steps to deal with ‘a crisis in waiting.’ Government of Pakistan needs to make sincere efforts to resolve problems with its neighbors. It also needs to take the threat of terrorism more seriously. The urgency to understand the sensitivity of targets and situations should not be downplayed. In what happened on Wagha, complacency of government in the wake of intelligence reports of an impending terrorist attack is criminal. And the inefficiency of security forces to prevent such incidents on places as sensitive as Wagha could have disastrous consequences. Certainly, becoming hostage to fear is neither an option nor a solution, it is nevertheless important not only to increase the level of institutional efficiency but also take into account the range of possibilities any future terrorist attack might expose us to. Managing perceptions and establishing credibility – both among our neighbors and the world community at large – of our sincerity in the struggle to eradicate militancy as a tool of strategy is as important as the effort on ground is.
On the other hand, it is high time for BJP government to realize the real nature of the threat of terrorism we in this region are faced with. In case of a similarly unfortunate attack in future on the other side of border, accusing Pakistan for someone else’s crime would only push the Indian government fall into a ‘commitment trap’ that might eventually prove counter-productive. Therefore, it would be wise to lower down the anti-Pakistan rhetoric and sensitize the people in India to the challenges that have spread far and wide. Objective media coverage of terrorist attacks on both sides from a humanist perspective may help people develop empathy for the pain that is inflicted upon all of us - it’s only a matter of time and turn. As a result a collective consciousness may help create a constituency for joint struggle against terrorism.