Hardly had the attack on the Wana Cadet College been foiled, with all the attackers neutralized and the staff and students all saved, that a blast at the G-8 Markaz Judicial Complex, which houses Islamabad’s courts, took place, killing 12 people. The Judicial Complex attack was claimed by the Tehrik Taliban Pakistan, making it uncertain which of the forces hostile to Pakistan were behind the attack. The TTP are being protected by the Afghan Taliban, who are still at war with Pakistan, and they also have links to India’s RAW. India is still shaken by the New Delhi car bomb blast which left eight people dead. That blast on Monday in India’s capital was succeeded by the blast in Pakistan’s capital. The attack was embarrassing because it took place at a time when there were more international events than usual, with an interparliamentary Union Speakers’ Conference and the Islamabad Policy Research Institute’s Margalla Dialogue occurring at the same time as a tri-nation T20I tournament was taking place in Rawalpindi.
The Wana attack, which started on Monday morning, with four terrorists of Afghan origin who have been killed, preceded the New Delhi blast, but did come after the breakdown of the latest round of talks in Istanbul. The possibility of the New Delhi attack having any Pakistani involvement can be ruled out from the fact that the Indian government has not engaged in the kneejerk reaction of blaming it on Pakistan as soon as it happens. However, the suspicion of RAW involvement in the Islamabad blast cannot be so easily rule out, especially after the TTP claimed responsibility. So far, another Raw tool, the Balochistan Liberation Army, has not shown any indication of involvement, but that too cannot be ruled out. While the state has been exerting pressure on the TTP by increasing its intelligence-based operations, it has seemingly failed to stop it from carrying out spectacular terrorist attacks.
That can only be done by focusing attention on human intelligence. There is also a need to determine the extent of the Indian involvement in the matter. While the Afghan involvement seems reasonably clear, how far is India involved? Is it offering tangible assistance? Should that not serve as a reminder that Pakistan’s enemies are converging? Is Mossad involved? Or the CIA? Pakistan must ensure that this is not the beginning of another series of terrorist outrages. It is not just a matter of how the country is seen abroad, but of people’s lives.
