On Thursday, ten people were killed in separate bombings targeting police forces in Pakistan. According to media outlets, a suicide blast targeting a police complex that housed an anti-terrorist squad in Islamabad injured at least seven people. CNN reported, “The force of the blast crumbled one side of a three-story building, believed to be living quarters for officers.” The AFP cited Islamabad police chief Asghar Gardezi, who told reporters that “police were probing whether the bomber had tricked his way into the heavily guarded complex using a ruse of delivering candy to policemen.” He asserted, “A green car entered and parked in front of the anti-terrorist building. The driver got out and presented two baskets of sweets to the officials sitting at the reception desk. It was followed by a big explosion.”
In a separate incident, nine people were killed when a roadside bomb exploded close to a prison vehicle and a school bus in north-western Pakistan, reported BBC News. The news agency reported, “The remote-controlled device exploded in the Upper Dir district of North-West Frontier Province near the Swat Valley.” Four schoolgirls, three policemen, and two prisoners were killed in the bombing.
According to Reuters, “There have been fears of more bomb attacks in reaction to an army offensive against Islamist militant strongholds in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.” CNN reported the Islamabad blast today “occurred about 6 miles (10 km) from the parliament building, where military officials were briefing lawmakers about the deteriorating security situation in the country and the the ongoing military offensive to flush out extremists in the country’s tribal regions.” The session was a continuation of the briefing that occurred yesterday, when MPs “were told in an in-camera session on Wednesday that the Taliban pose a serious threat to Pakistan’s security,” reported the Daily Times. The newly-appointed ISI director general, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha, reportedly briefed lawmakers on the gravity of the threat with the help of slides, charts and films. The Daily Times added, “Gen. Pasha had supervised military operations in the Tribal Areas and Swat as the director general of military operations before he was promoted.”
In an editorial today, Dawn noted that it remains to be seen whether these briefings will actually help evolve a national consensus on fighting Pakistan’s war on terror. The editors wrote:
Yet, despite the seriousness of the Taliban’s challenge – a challenge not just to the government of the day but to the Pakistani people’s way of life – the nation’s representatives were never given the impression that it is they who should ultimately determine the direction of the war and chart out a strategy reflecting the nation’s will.
While it is significant that the military is including the Parliament in this process, I wonder whether this truly marks a divergence from the past. Will this still be seen as the military’s war on militancy, or will the Pakistani government take a more active role in the offensive? While the military will be an instrumental actor in this war, the government must take the lead in selling it to the Pakistani people and garnering popular support for the Army. Building a Baghdad-style Green Zone in Islamabad may not suffice in addressing the much deeper issues at hand.
This makes me so sad. There must be something that we can do…and this happening at a time when all of Pakistan’s leaders are gathered together not far from where the suicide bomber hit.
I don’t know how I feel about this green zone business…it just seems so ridiculous. Islamabad is tiny!
[…] – Changing Up Pakistan informs that strings of bombings continued in Pakistan targeting the security forces in recent days as a […]
@The Batilan’s dirty jokes,
BADGAG SCENARIO !
I have read 8 times the passage of AFP citing the Police
Chief Azghar Gardezi’s story about a flower basket
delivery !! I must congrat their sense of humor !
can anyone explain to me in simple everyday english,
if one can trust this story ?
On the other hand Lt. Gen was promoted from Brig General,
because he performed so nicely and efficiently that he was
quickly promoted as the new, guess what ?
DIRECTOR GENERAL OF ISI
equiped with charts, slides, and maps to brief
about the tourist situation in Fata & NWFP. What
nonsense is this, briefing the lawmakers on the situation
in affected area, the most authentic and farsighted,
astonishingly efficient bull-shit ! I beg your pardon, process
of democratization, ” informing the legislature ! ! ¨so that
they can get the FIR registered !!
@Kalsoom, thanks for informing about the disaster,
yes, as you intrigued on green zone, I am sure
of the repetition of bagdad scenario, I am really now,
frustrated like anything.
[…] secur, swat valley, tribal areas, two prisoners, violence mounts, western pakistan Read more at: CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan This post […]
Kalsoom: I don’t think anyone should have any objection to the government enhancing security in Islamabad. I don’t know the details of the green zone but creating barriers and increasing monitoring will only help the diplomats, politicians, civilians and school children stay safe in the city.
Why shouldn’t we do this to try and stop the IMMEDIATE threat (bombings are happening more and more frequently now) while we continue to formulate our long term options?
@Zero
If a Govt is not even able to secure any sector, green or
red zones, what difference does it make to citizens ? some of them classified as vulnerable to death, others not !!
It is understood that classification of zones, i.e. green zone, assured for diplomats, politicians, civilians and school
chilren can ” stay safe in the city “, and what about my family, cousins, neighbours, grand parents, uncles, mamos, girl friend,
fiancés, they should all be declared catagory B. potential
victims of Batilans bomb blasts. ? are you out of your mind ?
No, I will vehemently go against this proposal and condemn
the Govt of being coward, inefficient, a failure and ask
them to be impeached . How preposterous of You to ask such
immunity for your******* quarters in your *******
Islamabad and not for other citizens ?
Read the report of flower basket bombing, again and again !
NO Iraq repeat, No Falluja repeat, you know what happened
in Fallujah and so many other hamlets of Iraq ? more than
one millions of Iraqis are killed by 11.000 mercenaries and
their agents.
Sorry Rafay, but at this point I’m happy with ANY step the government takes. Realistically, I don’t expect an overnight solution that will result in safety for the entire population. I’m pleased that there is SOME initiative being taken (even if it is just a little step) instead of simply placing the blame on others including previous governments, the Taliban, Afghanistan, India, ISI, or the US etc.
This is not about where I live or where I’m from. I would’ve been happy if they had done this in Peshawar, Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad or any other city.
About impeaching the current government, just a few months ago everyone was ranting and raving that we need to impeach Musharraf and bring in a new government. Don’t forget that it was THE PEOPLE that have brought us Zardari…it wasn’t a result of a coup. Now you’re implying that we need further instability and should get rid of this government as well?
Who do you want to see in power now? Give Sharif a third try and start demanding that we impeach him in a few months?
[…] Link to the original site Author: wtfpakistan Time: Friday, October 10th, 2008 at 4:02 am Category: Pakistan Comments: You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. RSS: You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Navigation: « Is US Headed Toward Dangerous Regional War? […]
Dear O,
realistic steps ? unless seen from Lancer Google Earth
7 enormous craters per km/sq representing “safety ” Green Zone in Islamabad. As for those SOME initiatives, they are nothing but falling into the Bagdadi Trap prepared and applied by the evil BATILANS.
Current Govt. is proving, day to day her inefficiencies & deficiencies on numbers of issues including SECURITY,
hav’nt you understood Marriott and now this flower
basket sinister jokes in broad day light ?
Yes, Everybody was ranting against Mushy, but they also
asked the present regime’s impeachment as well, it is on
the record, in the end only you and I will be left,
” unimpeachable ”
No sorry, it was not people who brought Zardari but Our coward politicians who imposed him on us accepting the
pressure by Batilans and are totally responsible of such disaster, they must be accounted for, one by one.
So called ” further instability ” instance is an invalid argument that is often used by regime’s oligarchy,
where on earth have you seen instability, where there were few kgs of STABILITY ?
27 European countries public opinion is against these Bagdad style “measures” two years ago a small delegation of Iraqis from Falluja came to see us, and showed us photos and films and witnesses of massacres perpetrated during the nights,
in Falluja by the Batilan’s mercenaries, of course the Mushy
liberated media in Pakistan will not show these documents.
I have no words for what I Had seen.
Your last indication is interesting, Shareefs, they can do a lot, they had done a lot, for public, yes,
but I consider where other politicians are cowards, they too
have insufficient courage to face the enemy.
Conclusions : The Military and ISI is not functionning honestly !
The Pasha has to prove those guts, Hamid Gul Had .
Pakistan Zindahbaad
There are different thaughts and they should be because of human nature,But our basic problem in views is the paid people and most of them are found in news papers and now some on different channels.Some even do it in courtesy as Abdul Qadir Hassan Hassan admitted once in his column. At present position we have only way to ask our leaders to become united and do some thing for the nation.What we have that is sufficient,They are experienced people and they should know now that they should have to deliver,especially justice (NOT mean CJ). PPP, PML(N) ,ANP and MQM if they go united and they have the best army command Genaral Kiani and General Anmed Shuja Pasha.I dont think that they could not do anything.They can do all if they want otherwise no chance ahead.Not for them not for nation.
[…] Times** included an in-depth discussion of the October 8th in-camera parliamentary briefings, [see this past post for more background]. According to the news […]
[…] Times** included an in-depth discussion of the October 8th in-camera parliamentary briefings, [see this past post for more background]. According to the news […]
Next month is the the month to remember for ever.There will be first Aniversary of Benazir Bhutto Shaheed and also the first ever Shaheeds of PML(N) on the same date whom they never remembered after comming into power.Can we expect Presedent Mr Zardari and Prime minster and other leaders of PPP and allies to start an anticorruption compain from the day.It can be the most appriciateable work.No need of accountability but to stop all sort of corruption and i assure there shall be no crises in future for any time and for any one.Mr Zardari is the proper man to do this all.