Who is Behind the Recent Attacks?

by Syed Atiq ul Hassan

Sydney Australia

Email: [email protected]

(The writer is a Sydney-based freelance journalist and a political analyst)

After about a month there has been another car bomb blast left 11 killed and dozens injured. This time no foreigners killed but it happened facing the US Consulate Office. The previous similar kind of bomb was blasted at Sheraton Karachi, which left 9 French dead. Beguilingly, American and Pakistani authorities alleging the incident as another suicidal attack though there has not been any confirmed evidence found yet by the investigating agencies.

The palpable objective behind these attacks is not so complicated to understand. It is quite obvious that the element/s responsible for these attacks want to harm Pakistan’s reputation internationally and produce fact sheets to corroborate that there are terrorists subsisted in Pakistan. It is also possible that this could be the action of those groups who submissively retaliating against the westerners around the world. Though in these two car bomb blasts no American was killed except the recent blast happened in front of US consulate yet the US administration bluntly framed the attack as a terrorist act by its Number One enemy Al Qaeda.

If one deems on the US allegation of correlation of Al Qaeda in these attacks then there are several disparate arguments raised in mind. For example; one would agree with the view that if there could be any safe haven which exists in the world at present, for the members of Al Qaeda including for Osama Bin Laden then there is no place but Pakistan. So, why would Al Qaeda members create wobbly conditions in Pakistan that will justify US agencies to push Pakistan to give them more access in conducting the mass operation to hunt members of Al Qaeda, Taliban and their leadership? One may have several reasons to disagree with Osama, Mullah Omer and their groups on their manifestos and one could also understand their disparities with Musharraf and his regime but it is hard to believe they can achieve anything to create dissensions with the Pakistan or the people of Pakistan while they are hiding in Pakistan. The serenity in Pakistan is in the interest of Al Qaeda and Taliban rather than apprehensions that would open more doors for FBI and CIA for their showdown against them.

Looking into the engineering of the recent car-bomb attack, any simple mind can understand the fact that bomb planted in Suzuki high-roof could not be meant to raze the boundaries of the US Consulate office and then hit the building to blow it up. These Suzuki hi-roof possess so illuminative body that it could hardly break any ordinary barrier. It has also been seen that generally the suicidal operations are the part of the declared mission of the groups who try to terrorize and convey the message to their foes with clear acceptance of the responsibility of their deeds. The suicidal operations in most of the cases are well calculated, distinctive, and timely. If the recent attack was a suicidal act then firstly, some visible claims and targeted damage must have come on to the scene by now. Secondly, killing the innocent road-passers and the people standing around does not indicate to any intent of the Al-Qaeda or Taliban as being asserted by US and Pakistani agencies.

Now the point is who could be then the elements behind these brutal attacks? For this, one has to analyze the situation in terms of assessing the possible beneficiaries from these horrified acts.

Pakistani Minister for Information Nisar Memon in his recent statement linked the incident to the possible involvement of (Indian) RAW. Blame on RAW by Pakistani leaders and on ISI by Indian leaders for any single event or series of actions in Pakistan and India are, now, the routine statements by their leaders and it suits them for an easy way out and shifting responsibilities to trace out and capture the criminals. One can understand the purpose and motives of RAW’s activities in Pakistan. One can also believe if the incident is linked as the act of terrorism by RAW in Pakistan. However, as for as, this particular incident is concerned one must also analyze the incident beyond the recent territorial tension and military face-off between India and Pakistan as there might be any other element who wants to kill two birds with on stone by taking the advantage of the current situation.

In spite of the on going brutal operation and hunt by SAS and US-led forces in Afghanistan and alongside Pakistan’s western border yet they failed to find out the whereabouts of Osama Bin Laden, Mullah Omer and their other members. It is pertinent to mention here that US administration is continuously avowing that Osama is in Pakistan and continuously pushing President Musharraf to provide more and more access to its agencies in Pakistan. The establishment and the forces of Pakistan are seemed to be already infuriated by ongoing demands of US. The people of Pakistan are also feeling great concerns about growing activities of US agencies in Pakistan. One can also understand that US agencies can play any dirty game for their interest. They could go up to any extreme to plant the reasons and justify their demands. One after the other the planted games of CIA on the name of hunting terrorists, Al Qaeda, and war against terrorism are being unveiled since the attack of US-led forces in Afghanistan. One wonder this may not be another planted dirty game of the CIA.

Syed Atiq ul Hassan,
Freelance Journalist / Political Analyst.
Phone: 61-2-9707 1535, Fax: 61-2-9709 4867
P.O. Box: A1113, Sydney South NSW Australia.