Terror In Peshawar: Shia Mosque Attack Exposes Pakistan’s Irony In Not Being Able To Protect Its Own Citizens Yet Dreaming Of Kashmir

The recent attack at a Shia mosque in Peshawar bares the irony of Pakistan, which cannot protect its own citizens against terrorism, dreaming about Kashmir, said Noman Hossain, a freelance journalist, in an opinion piece.

Hossain argued that terrorists reared by Pakistan are out to devour their own master. He further opined that the Peshawar mosque attack, which accounted for deaths of over 60 Shia Muslims and injuries for 200 others, illustrates that Pakistan is a failed state, having utterly failed to act against terrorists.

The attack, claimed by the Islamic State, was a grim reminder of the fact that terror has no religion and it can hit anyone, he further argued.

Notably, the incident, that took place on the same day when international money laundering and terrorist funding watchdog Financial Action Task Force announced Pakistan’s retention on its grey list, left Pakistan rulers embarrassed.

The episode, which occurred on the same day that the Financial Action Task Force declared Pakistan’s retention on its grey list for money laundering and terrorism financing, humiliated Pakistani rulers. In the piece, Hossain claims that Pakistani ministers tried to deflect blame by blaming the attack on a conspiracy to stifle Pakistan’s economy and stability.

“They tried to deflect blame by blaming foreign forces for the heinous act that killed over 60 innocent worshippers who had gathered in a mosque to offer congregational Friday prayers,” the paper stated.

The Peshawar mosque incident has also sparked fears in Kashmir, which is returning to normalcy following the Central government’s abrogation of Article 370, which guaranteed Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, on August 5, 2019.

People in Kashmir have learned that the insurgency supported by Pakistan has caused havoc on their lives, he said, adding that they have rejected separatism and the so-called “Azadi.” Hossain went on to say that the shift in public opinion has perplexed terrorist handlers on the other side of the Line of Control (LoC), who are hell-bent on ensuring the common man in Kashmir does not live in peace.

Thus, a grenade attack in a crowded flea market on Srinagar’s Hari Singh High Street, just a day after the Peshawar attack, not only demonstrates how terrorists will go to any length to foment unrest in the Kashmir valley, but also shows that the common man’s fear is not unfounded, according to Hossain.

The article speculated that choosing crowded places such as markets and places of worship could be part of a strategy to disrupt normal life, and that terrorists in Kashmir follow the orders of their bosses across the LoC, and that the timings of both incidents, namely the Peshawar blast and the Hari Singh High Street attack, are concerning.

However, Pakistan can deflect credit for terror strikes by blaming external powers, but India knows how to deal with elements hostile to peace, as evidenced by its round-the-clock operations to apprehend terrorists, he noted.

Hossain believes that the people of Kashmir, who have been mislead by Pakistan for three decades, must have the resolve to say no to violence and reject the thought of the valley being merged with a country that kills even worshippers.