The terror attack on an Imambargah in Islamabad area during Friday prayers last month led to the deaths of at least 31 innocent people, plunging the nation into grief and trauma. Painful memories of the Shikarpur Imambargah attack of January 30, 2015 – where over 50 lives were lost – have resurfaced, reopening wounds that never fully healed. However, once again, the perpetrators failed to fracture Pakistan’s deeply rooted Sufi spirit of tolerance, harmony and resilience. That such an atrocity occurred in the capital raises disturbing questions. How did terrorists breach multiple security layers and strike at will inside a mosque? Terror walking freely in Islamabad exposes alarming lapses that demand urgent introspection.
While blaming Fitna-al-Khawarij is justified, it is not sufficient. Terrorism thrives on complacency and cracks in vigilance. The state possesses the resources and capability to crush these foreign-funded networks. What is required is proactive, coordinated prevention.
Qamer Soomro
Shikarpur
