Saturday’s bomb blast at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad was devastating, [see related CHUP post], with media outlets now reporting that at least 40 were killed and hundreds were injured. Below, Shaheryar Mirza, a freelance journalist from Rawalpindi, Pakistan who recently completed his masters degree in journalism, comments on the significance of such an attack and the ramifications it holds for Pakistan:
Another blast to add to the string of chaos that has engulfed Pakistan in recent months. The blast at the Marriott is being coined, “Pakistan’s 9/11.” Is this finally an admission that Pakistan is caught up in a war that it cannot pawn off as “America’s war?”
On the eve of President Zardari‘s visit to New York, this blast serves as a stark reminder that the Pakistani government is on the losing end of a war which is tearing apart the very fabric of Pakistani society. Our society, government, and law enforcement’s complacence is to blame for these tragic events. It may be an individual militant who pulled the trigger, but it is ultimately the state and society as a whole which has given the extremists the power that can bring a city to its knees.
Intelligence warned that four to five suicide bombers were on the loose in the capital, but that still did not deter the militants’ aims. Is the resolve of the militants stronger than our government and law enforcement’s resolve? To be fair, it is extremely hard to prevent these kinds of bombings. But in the capital of the nation, a dump truck laden with several hundred kilograms of explosives was allowed to breach one of the most heavily guarded cordons in Islamabad. Surely someone must be held accountable. Driving from Rawalpindi to Islamabad, one encounters so many police checkpoints that it is hard to imagine that nobody questioned why a dump truck was making its way to the Marriott. It may be safe to assume that that road is not the typical trucker’s route.
Many ministers have now come out on news channels asserting, “We won’t be scared or deterred by these attacks” and other statements to that effect. They go on to state that they will bring those to blame to justice. Those accountable for this tragedy are not only the ones hiding in the Frontier and Balochistan but they are also those in plain sight who have ignored the rise of extremism in our country.
Occasionally sending in the military to fight militants is not alone going to solve the problem. Is the government still planning on registering all the madrassas and checking their curricula? Granted, not every madrassa is breeding young extremists, but a very significant number are. Is the government ignorant of where the funding is coming for these Wahhabi-styled madrassas? Are they completely incapable of keeping a check on these schools, or are they just unwilling? One cannot blame madrassas for everything that happens, but the fact remains that some of the blame lies with them. And if they run rampant as they do these days, then groups like Al Qaeda won’t even need to recruit people because they are being bred free of charge. Keeping the madrassas in check is the government’s responsibility and every successive government since Zia’s time has failed in doing so. Who will hold our government accountable?
This is where civil society comes in. Our judiciary is ready to protest to the hilt when its power has been compromised, but are they ready to stand up when the law of the land is compromised by militants on a daily basis? The educated public in the cities line up to protest America’s war in Iraq but do we see them standing up and protesting the militant’s war on our own nation?
Our citizens and government officials are angered when they see America crossing over into Pakistan to fight militants. The U.S. apparently comprises Pakistan’s territorial sovereignty with these cross-border incursions. The question is, then, what sovereignty are they referring to? The Frontier and Balochistan have become the preferred destination for extremists from around the world. Why aren’t the government and public up in arms about Pakistan’s sovereignty when it is being breached by extremists? Militants from around the world and within Pakistan are launching a war against the nation of Pakistan and we seem to be concerned about America compromising our territorial integrity to fight the very people who are destabilizing our own country. It seems counter-intuitive. Nobody is suggesting that America be given free rein in our territory but our own government has completely failed in securing our tribal areas.
The ISI is completely without accountability to the people of Pakistan and have aims which run contrary to the aims of the average Pakistani. Esteemed journalists like Ahmed Rashid have suggested time and again that the military and the ISI have kept the Taliban alive to serve as a tool against India. And he goes on to rightfully state that now they are out of the ISI’s control. The fact remains that the Taliban and its militant guests from around the world are fighting a war against Pakistan, not India.
The ISI needs to re-evaluate its support of the Taliban if the country is to stabilize the border regions. The government needs to bring some accountability to the ISI. The public needs to bring accountability to the government by standing up and making it known that the fight against extremism is our own war and no one else’s. It’s unfortunate to say, but perhaps an attack of this nature will lead people to lose any sympathy they had for the extremists. Maybe the government will aggressively tackle the causes of and sources of extremism. Making deals with the Taliban has proven to be making a deal with the devil.
One can go on endlessly about how extremism of this sort is a result of American foreign policy in the Muslim world, but that is only part of the equation. If this sort of extremism is retaliation to the West, as Muslims we should still hold our fellow Muslims accountable for reacting with such extreme violence. There is no justification for the actions of the extremists and the argument that it is America’s fault is a tired and outdated notion. American policies may have ignited the flames but we are fanning the flames by not holding our own people accountable for perpetuating the violence. Two wrongs don’t make a right. Attacking the Marriott in Islamabad has nothing to do with America’s policies in the Middle East.
Pakistan teeters on the brink in plain view and it is becoming impossible to sweep it under the rug. Hopefully our government will now treat this is our own war and actually start protecting its citizens against a war which is home-grown. None of this will happen until Pakistanis and the government are ready to admit that Islamic extremism is breeding like wildfire in our own country and it is a result of our own complacence.
CHUP welcomes your thoughts on this incident. If you would like to contribute a guest post on the Islamabad bomb blast, or related issues, please email changinguppakistan[at]gmail.com with your piece, name, and affiliation.
Lots of articles have come out since the blast happened at the Marriot. This one is by far the best I’ve read all day. Your point on accountability is especially true…hope to read more from you on CHUP.
@O
Hey thanks for the kind words, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Hopefully I’ll find more opportunities to contribute.
Mr. Mirza’s details about Pakistan and its society are very true, lets hope that Pakistani government and its society can put their mind and harts together to face this cancer head on and take bold steps to remove and destroy this cancer forever.
[…] Making Ourselves Accountable […]
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An interesting article in Time Magazine: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1841649,00.html
Great article…I completely agree that we as Muslims or as Pakistanis, (whichever you want to identify with) have been denial for a long time now about the issue of insurgency in Pakistan. It annoys me to see everyone blaming the United States or Foreign policy for such attacks, when at this point I see no connection. If this doesn’t open peoples’ eyes…then there is no hope.
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Pakistan’s September 11th?
“i am looking for peace. i am looking for mercy.
i am looking for evidence of compassion.
any evidence of life.
i am looking for life.”
http://beta.vajood.com/?p=437
Great article and very true. Finally something I have seen that says that WE the people need to speak up against these people. We can’t blame US foreign policy etc–there is a REAL problem and it can not be ignored anymore.
[…] asks some pertinent questions: The blast at the Marriott is being coined, “Pakistan’s 9/11.” Is this finally an admission […]
Very well written and hits the hammer on the nail. The government needs to stop providing lip service and take action and civil society needs to hold them accountable.
One of the best articles I’ve read on the recent events. Look forward to seeing more stuff by Mr. Mirza
Well done Shaheryar …
@Sheharyar Mirza,
your reply No. 2
I am sorry, we should’nt have enjoyed your article, there
is nothing to enjoy in your 11 paragraphs, where you
ended up bringing back the “moral responsiblities of fellow
muslims ” on other muslims (in your 10th paragraph).
Finally, nothing extra-ordinary, reportage ” as usual”
you did perform your profession and thats it, knowing
very very well ” what to say” and ” what not to”.
I have already expressed earlier on the subject.
@ Rafay: I completely disagree with the point you are attempting to make. It’s high time we take responsibility for our country and the events that are taking place within it. Pointing the finger to the west or our neighbors is not going to change things. In addition, I find it quite rude that you have stated that there is nothing to enjoy in the article. Having an opinion is one thing but blatant insults is another.
well done.
I think SM’s article hits the nail on the head (unfortunately there seem to be many nails when it comes to Pakistan.
One of the reasons that tackling the issue of extremism is so hard is that there are so many variables— including the civil society complacency, America fanning the flames of Pakistani anger/illiteracy by crossing the border, increasing apathy to militancy, border issues with India and Afghanistan, external infuence from the ME and the West, AND THE LIST GOES ON!!!
We can not control most of those issues— not even a little bit. But SM’s article is right in pointing out that we can try to understand why our civil society is not actively engaging the militants (whether in the media or the drawing rooms). Maybe people are scared… or maye they don’t totally disagree with the attacks (I hope thats not the case!!!). One thing is for sure– we will find out what our civil society is all about in the next couple of months.
inshAllah all of this is just part of the process of Pakistan expunging the negative parts of our society.
I am deeply saddened by the attack on the Marriott and my prayers are with the victims and their families.
I feel that this sort of attack shows that militants now believe (as perhaps they have some reason to) that the “enemy” is not simply the US or the West, but also the elite Pakistanis (like most of us who comment on this blog) who are perhaps in sympathy with US interests. Maybe some of this is motivated by class interests… the thought that why should people like you be able to afford to have dinner at an expensive hotel when my children are starving? Perhaps religion as such is not the problem, but rather the ways in which religion is used to manipulate people who are suffering from social, political and economic inequality. None of which makes their actions justified, but it may help us to understand the extraordinary rise in these types of attacks.
Finally, most of those who died were poor Pakistanis. Many of the rich people in the hotel were able to escape while the drivers and security guards waiting outside were the main victims. Who will support their families now? How can one even begin to compensate people for this kind of a loss? Personally what bothers me the most is the death of all these innocent people who were just minding their own business and happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I am also deeply saddened for the Islamabad that I knew and loved and for my country as a whole.
british airways suspended flights to ISB….there goes my winter plans 😦
I literally cried when I saw the destruction that occured by the blast. I have to agree with Fahad. Either so many variable have been made purposely to confuse people or there are so many of them to deal with. I just don’t understand the whole situation. And then there is this Hamid Mir interview from Bannu where he went to see the effects of bombing on Taliban hideouts and him saying that not even single Talib has died in the bombing by jets and helicopters and Pak Army is making fool of everyone in the country. He further said that unfortunately we have lost this part of our country since no one wants to hear “Pakistan” at all. If someone is pro Pakistani, people kills that person. He said all the bombing has been on innocent villagers and Army is too scare to go to the places where Talibans reside. He agreed that there are Talibans in the area but Army wouldn’t go there. And then the very next day this bombing on Marriot Hotel occured. A after hsi interview or on the same night in Capital Talk show he brought in Dr. Khalil ur Rehman whose son lost his 2 legs and he lost his brother and his kids in air attack. i would like everyone to watch this episode of Capital Talk and also listen to that interview by Hamid Mir. Links are given below;
http://pkpolitics.com/2008/09/19/hamid-mir-on-fata-situation/
http://www.insaf.pk/Forum/tabid/53/forumid/12/tpage/1/view/topic/postid/37507/Default.aspx#37507
Hey everyone-
BBC loved Shaheryar’s guest post, so they are interviewing him on today’s World Have Your Say (the same kind of format as my past interview last month). You can listen to the show live at 1700 GMT, or 1300 EST: here is the link:
http://worldhaveyoursay.wordpress.com/
Great job Sheri and good luck!!
@ Sherry-
I heard BA is only suspending flights to Pak for two days 🙂 So don’t worry, we’ll all get there yet!
@ PK,
your no.16
thanks for a very “classical” reaction, !
are we not here to express our opinions, (rude, or not)
and some resolutions ?
No, I have not been “indulged” in Blatant insults for
Sherry Mirza, are you sure you are on the same Blog
C H U P !!
[…] Shaheryar Mirza, the author of yesterday’s post, “Making Ourselves Accountable,” appeared on BBC World’s Have Your Say, a discussion on U.S. involvement in Pakistan. […]
@ BBC appriciated so much, the voluntarism
” making ourselves accountable” it made
the job unblieveably easier for them now,
wanted to watch what did Sheharyar Mirza
said on USA ” involvement ” in Pakistan, a straight one !!
has someone possibility ?
[…] “Making Ourselves Accountable”-a piece written for “CHUP”- a blog about Pakistan. […]
@Speakers were
Pakistan society, ShanAli
Sheharyar Mirza
MissBeghuncha Shaikh (with heavey accent),
sorry, nothing came out except a certain,
neutrality, amateurish, repeated language and terms,
not half Pakistanis, not half Americans, they sounded like
free lance journalist from a very unknown Banana Republic.
Anyway, thanks for info your no.27.