PAKISTAN: Militant threat feeds fear

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LAHORE, 8 February 2011 (IRIN) - A room stands empty in the house of Gulzar Ahmed in Lahore - unusual given that the three-bedroom house accommodates seven people, and that Gulzar’s four daughters share a single room with their grandmother. But none of them will move into the unoccupied room, which is preserved as a kind of shrine for Hamid Ahmed, Gulzar’s son, who died when dozens were killed in a December 2009 bomb blast at a Lahore market. [ http://www.google.com.pk/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=moon+market+bomb+blast&rlz=1R2ADSA_enPK376&aq=1&aqi=g7g-m3&aql=&oq=moon+market ] “It is a blow we can never recover from. Hamid was only 24 when he died,” Ahmed told IRIN. At the time of that bombing, there had still been hope that the various militant factions [ http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=90760 ] staging attacks across the country would be overcome and peace would return to cities and towns. In February 2010 the Pakistan army announced a victory [ http://www.defence.pk/forums/pakistans-war/48457-pak-army-announces-victory-against-militants-swat-waziristan.html ] against militants in Swat and Waziristan, and a month later in Bajaur. [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8548277.stm ] However, hopes that these successes would bring respite from bomb attacks have not materialized. At least 1,397 people died in bombings in Pakistan in 2010, according to the South Asian Terrorism Portal, [ http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/database/bombblast2010.htm ] and the trend appears to be continuing into 2011. [ http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/database/bombblast2010.htm ] Geopolitics, poverty Why were the militants not defeated? Domestic political realities and geopolitics provide part of the answer. Some analysts have accused intelligence agencies in the country of covertly backing militant groups [ http://www.cfr.org/pakistan/isi-terrorism-behind-accusations/p11644 ] in the struggle against India. A long history of animosity exists between the two countries. The USA has accused [ http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/01/12/us-pakistan-usa-biden-idUSTRE70B1G020110112 ] Pakistan of failing to go after militants, while some political leaders in Pakistan believe the country needs to end its alliance with the USA [ http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/pak-should-opt-for-dialogue-with-taliban-imran-khan-67874 ] if it is to see an end to militant violence. Poverty and the failure to implement effective development schemes in conflict-hit areas is also a factor. The Federally Administered Tribal Areas along the border with Afghanistan, have been key centres of militancy; they are also, according to official statistics, among the least developed parts of the country. [ http://www.sbf.org.pk/pdf/FATA-data.pdf ] The prime minister, following the conflict in Swat, promised employment generation projects there in 2009, [ http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/10-Aug-2009/PM-says-won-Swat-war-with-people-support-terrorists-on-the-run-to-be-eliminated-soon ] but people say these have not materialized. “There is little work to develop this area, and things are worse in areas such as the Bajaur Agency,” Aleem Khan, a social activist based in Mingora, the principal city of Swat, said. For the militants, the attacks - both on state representatives such as the police, and on civilians in public places such as bazaars - are a way of keeping up pressure on the government. The Taliban say the attacks avenge US drone attacks in tribal areas. [ http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110112/wl_sthasia_afp/pakistanunrestblastnorthwest_20110112173416 ] “We had hoped for calm, but we still live in terror,” Gul Hazir, 40, told IRIN from Peshawar, capital of Khyber Pakhtoonkwa Province, where a car bomb killed nine on 2 February. [ http://www.geo.tv/2-2-2011/77888.htm ] Anxiety “Living with constant unease and fear each time they step into a public space is very tough on people. It is one reason we are seeing depression and anxiety more and more frequently,” said psychologist Sobia Mansoor, although she added that few baseline figures were available. The sense of helplessness of people adds to their fear. This is especially true for those who feel they may be particularly vulnerable. Sajjida Bibi, 25, is a teacher based at a village near Quetta, capital of Balochistan Province. Her family comes from the Punjab and she feels she may be at risk both on the basis of her ethnicity and her profession. Ethnic killings have taken place across Balochistan for the past few years, with one of the worst incidents taking place in August 2010 when 16 Punjabis were killed. [ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/16-Punjabis-shot-dead-in-Balochistan/articleshow/6312201.cms ] Punjabis - seen as coming from a province associated with the military and the government - appear to face the greatest hostility in Balochistan, which has been caught up in a nationalist insurgency for decades. Teachers, some of them settlers, have been deliberately targeted, with 22 killed between January 2008 and October 2010, according to the New York-based rights watchdog, Human Rights Watch. [ http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2010/12/13/their-future-stake ] There is little agreement between analysts on why teachers are being targeted, though some believe it to be a tactic to put pressure on the government. “I work for a private school and the administration does nothing to protect us,” Sajjida told IRIN. “Now we think many times even before setting out to a market or taking children to a park. This is no way to live,” said Asif Saleem, a bank employee. “The TV images after a bombing make everyone shudder.” kh/cb/oa © IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.IRINnews.org