Despicable Lahore blast

This latest attack is a stark reminder of the fact that the threat of extremism and terrorism in Pakistan is still very much alive

A horrific bomb blast snatched away the lives of some 72 people while injuring about another 100 outside a public park in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Sunday. Not that terror strikes are new in Pakistan, but their timing and suicidal patterns are increasingly targeting non-Muslim major religious festivals. The park where the explosion had occurred was particularly busy on Sunday evening due to the Easter holiday weekend. So the presence of Pakistani Christians was reasonably higher while turning it into an appropriate target for carrying out mass killing. The credit of the assault was claimed by the Taliban faction operating under the banner of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar. Moreover, the spokesperson of the faction has also admitted the target to be the assembled Christian community there. Thus, the country’s pluralistic fabric has been torn apart too.  
We sternly condemn this atrocious and barbaric attack carried out on the Christian minority in Pakistan.  We also offer our deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed, just as our thoughts and prayers are with the many injured in the explosion. Nevertheless, the attack on Sunday is a stark reminder of an old but cruel truth: the inner conflict to fight extremism and terrorism in Pakistan is far from over.  The Punjab province in Pakistan has often been easy and lucrative targets for militant groups in that country. Extremists, guised as terrorists have attacked it regularly over the past few years. As an attempt to counter it the government there have been carrying out massive military operations but the question however remains, where are the results?
Knowing full well the province was prone to terror attacks the law enforcement agencies should have resorted to extra precautionary measures to ensure protection of the Christian community gathering at the park. Also given what happened to Brussels just last week the security in the park should have been strengthened, particularly in terms of protecting the get-together of minority groups. We mark the sluggish efforts of Pakistani law enforcement agencies with dismay.           
However, cross-boundary terrorism is rising in an alarming rate all across the globe and the sub continental countries will have to jointly combat its menaces. We expect to see international combined approaches to fight terrorism and militancy by Bangladesh, Pakistan and India besides their other neighbouring countries. Finally, Bangladesh needs to take lessons from recent terror strikes to neutralize any potential militant strikes while safeguarding its own minority groups. In the last three years incidence of isolated small scale attacks on our minority groups have unprecedented increased in thiscountry which itself bodes ill-omen. Extremist terror strikes will spill over in here if we don’t tackle them right away, and tackle them jointly. We must draw lessons from the Lahore blast.  

Despicable Lahore blast

This latest attack is a stark reminder of the fact that the threat of extremism and terrorism in Pakistan is still very much alive

A horrific bomb blast snatched away the lives of some 72 people while injuring about another 100 outside a public park in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Sunday. Not that terror strikes are new in Pakistan, but their timing and suicidal patterns are increasingly targeting non-Muslim major religious festivals. The park where the explosion had occurred was particularly busy on Sunday evening due to the Easter holiday weekend. So the presence of Pakistani Christians was reasonably higher while turning it into an appropriate target for carrying out mass killing. The credit of the assault was claimed by the Taliban faction operating under the banner of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar. Moreover, the spokesperson of the faction has also admitted the target to be the assembled Christian community there. Thus, the countrys pluralistic fabric has been torn apart too. We sternly condemn this atrocious and barbaric attack carried out on the Christian minority in Pakistan. We also offer our deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed, just as our thoughts and prayers are with the many injured in the explosion. Nevertheless, the attack on Sunday is a stark reminder of an old but cruel truth: the inner conflict to fight extremism and terrorism in Pakistan is far from over. The Punjab province in Pakistan has often been easy and lucrative targets for militant groups in that country. Extremists, guised as terrorists have attacked it regularly over the past few years. As an attempt to counter it the government there have been carrying out massive military operations but the question however remains, where are the results? Knowing full well the province was prone to terror attacks the law enforcement agencies should have resorted to extra precautionary measures to ensure protection of the Christian community gathering at the park. Also given what happened to Brussels just last week the security in the park should have been strengthened, particularly in terms of protecting the get-together of minority groups. We mark the sluggish efforts of Pakistani law enforcement agencies with dismay. However, cross-boundary terrorism is rising in an alarming rate all across the globe and the sub continental countries will have to jointly combat its menaces. We expect to see international combined approaches to fight terrorism and militancy by Bangladesh, Pakistan and India besides their other neighbouring countries. Finally, Bangladesh needs to take lessons from recent terror strikes to neutralize any potential militant strikes while safeguarding its own minority groups. In the last three years incidence of isolated small scale attacks on our minority groups have unprecedented increased in thiscountry which itself bodes ill-omen. Extremist terror strikes will spill over in here if we dont tackle them right away, and tackle them jointly. We must draw lessons from the Lahore blast.