Saturday, June 19, 2010

Can Pakistan get rid of the monster that is terrorism, or is it too late?

Heavily armed terrorists stormed two packed mosques of the Ahmadiyya sect in Lahore, one of Pakistan’s premier cities, during Friday prayers, killing at least 80 people, including a retired lieutenant general and a journalist, and injuring scores more.

Over the past few years, terrorist attacks in Pakistan, particularly in the North West Frontier Province, have become as commonplace as they once were in Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab.

Ever since George W Bush arm-twisted Pervez Musharraf into helping the US in its war on terror, Pakistan’s one-time secret army has been gradually turning upon it.

Add the rabid fundamentalism that is endemic among sections of Pakistan’s population, including its armed forces, and it is clear that the country is sitting on a powder keg.

Is Pakistan paying the price for supping with the devil that is terrorism? Can the country get rid of the monster and save itself? Or is it too late already?

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