Yet Another Explosion

Pakistan has had five incidents of suicide or suspectedsuicide terrorism since January 26, 2007. Two of these have been reported fromIslamabad and the remaining three from the tribal areas near the Afghan border

The two incidents in Islamabad took place in theparking lot of the Marriott Hotel on January 26, 2007, and in the parking lot ofthe Islamabad airport on February 6, 2007. Both were high-profile, but lowcasualty incidents. In the hotel incident, the alleged suicide bomber himselfand a private security guard, who stopped him for questioning, were killed whenthe terrorist blew himself up. According to the official version on the airportincident, three terrorists were involved. One of them, who had opened fire at theprivate security guards employed in the airport parking lot, was killed.According to some reports, he died when a hand-grenade, which he wastrying to throw, exploded near him. Subsequently, an examination of his deadbody by the police revealed that he was wearing a suicide belt, which he had notactivated or failed to activate. According to other reports, he did succeed inactivating it and died as a result. According to the Pakistani authorities, oneprivate security guard and two policemen were injured when he opened fire afterbeing stopped by the security guards for questioning. The other two terroristshave been arrested.

The remaining three incidents were reported fromthe tribal areas. On January 27, 2007, 14 persons, including six police officers,were killed by a suicide bomber at Peshawar. The police officers were performinglaw and order duties in connection with a Muharrum procession. Amongst thepolice officers killed was the Commissioner of Police of Peshawar. Initialreports had said that all the civilians killed were Shias, but, according tosubsequent reports, only three were Shias and the remaining five were Sunnis.Another bomber killed a policeman at a check-post in the tribal town of DeraIsmail Khan on January 29, 2007, and a suicide car bomber killed twosoldiers in the remote town of Tank on February 3,2007.

There is so far no reason to doubt the veracityof the official versions regarding the three incidents in the tribal areas. Thesuicide attack in Peshawar is suspected to have been carried out by theLashkar-e-Jhangvi (LEJ), an anti-Shia terrorist organisation, which is a memberof Osama bin Laden's International Islamic Front (IIF). The incidents in DeraIsmail Khan and Tank are suspected to have been carried out by pro-Talibantribals in reprisal for the air strikes by the Pakistani authorities onalleged terrorist hide-outs in South Waziristan on January 16, 2007.

There is an element of doubt about the veracityof the official versions regarding the two incidents in Islamabad. Both theincidents are reported to have taken place when private security guards stoppedthe suicide terrorists. Both the incidents took place in parking lots wherethere is a high security presence. While one private security guard waskilled in the first incident, there were no fatalities other than aterrorist in the second incident. In both the incidents, even before theinvestigation started, the Pakistani authorities put out stories that pro-TalibanAfghans were suspected. One should not rule out the possibility that both theseincidents in the capital were organised by Pakistan's Inter-ServicesIntelligence (ISI) in order to counter increasing criticism in the US and WestEurope and from the Hamid Karzai government in Kabul, that Pakistan has beengiving shelter to the Taliban leaders in its territory and assisting them. Whenthe Taliban's suicide bombers are trying to attack targets even in Islamabad,where is the question of the ISI assisting the Taliban? So the Pakistaniauthorities argue.

While no organisation has so far claimedresponsibility for the Peshawar blast, an individual by name Omar rang up theoffice of the News, the Pakistani daily, on February 6, 2007, and claimed responsibility for the remaining four blasts on behalf of an organisatrionof tribals, whose name he did not give. The newspaper has reported him as saying: “I belong to the tribal areas and have managed to form this group to takerevenge for the military operations in our territory. Henceforth, every attackin tribal areas by the Pakistan Army would be avenged. The suicide bombings werecarried out to take revenge for the air strikes in both South Waziristan andNorth Waziristan as well as in Bajaur."

B. Raman is Additional Secretary (retd), CabinetSecretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and ,presently, Director, Institute ForTopical Studies, Chennai.