Not The Answer

By Dawn Editor, *A dastardly attack * - Dawn.Com - Pakistan
Saturday, October 9, 2010

Thursday evening’s suspected suicide attack on the revered mausoleum of Abdullah Shah Ghazi in Karachi was not the first time extremists have targeted a Sufi shrine in Pakistan.

At least nine people, including children, were killed while scores were injured as a result of the twin blasts, believed to have been carried out by as many suicide bombers. Considering the mass of humanity that gathers at the shrine on Thursday nights, it is a miracle the number of dead was not greater.

The attack bore a disturbing resemblance to July’s bombing of Data Darbar in Lahore, which also targeted devotees gathered on a Thursday evening. Though there were incidents of violence in the city, thankfully the situation did not spin out of control.

There are strong suspicions that the TTP is responsible for this latest outrage. The TTP has evolved into a conglomerate that serves as a platform for a number of violent jihadi and virulently sectarian militant groups. As per the militants’ philosophy, attacking anything that falls within their definition of ‘unbelief’ is perfectly kosher: western targets, the Pakistan Army as well as security agencies and Shias top this list. Moderate Sunnis, specifically of the Barelvi persuasion, are recent additions to the list of ‘enemies’.

In fact, anything that serves as a symbol of Islamic interpretations beyond the narrow confines of the extremist canon is a legitimate target. That is why Ashura, Chehlum and Eid Miladun Nabi processions, Shia rallies and Sufi shrines are all fair game.

Hard-liners have never had any love for Sufi shrines as they regard them as carrying the vestiges of polytheism. Yet the opposition to them has taken a very bloody turn, since it is now actually okay to destroy them. The attacks on Data Darbar and Rehman Baba’s tomb as well as Thursday’s incident all point to this.

In the context of Karachi, several conflicts are already brewing in the metropolis. Apart from the ethnic, political and sectarian fault-lines, a new front seems to have opened up in the city: that of intra-sectarian conflict. This has pit a minority of extremist Sunni outfits against moderate groups of the same persuasion. The attack on Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s shrine appears to have links with this emerging conflict.

In the aftermath of the bombing, the Sindh administration has said that all shrines in the city shall be closed until new security arrangements are put in place. Hopefully, this will happen soon as closing shrines and preventing devotees from visiting them is not the answer.

It sends the wrong message and gives the extremists what they want. Ultimately, it is the state’s duty to provide protection to its citizens.

Picture: Considering the mass of humanity that gathers at the Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine, it is a miracle the number of dead was not greater. –Photo: AFP/Dawn.Com