Pakistan Under Attack

11 people were killed in a bomb blast in Peshawar, on Friday, which was targeted at a police station. The detonation took place at an investigation bureau outpost. The explosion is being attributed to a suicide car bomber. This is the latest in a series of attacks against Pakistan in recent times.

On Thursday, Pakistan was shocked by five co-ordinated and almost simultaneous attacks, against law-enforcement establishments in Lahore and Kohat, and a colony for government officers in Peshawar. 39 people were killed in these attacks, in which the targets included, the Federal Investigation Agency building, the Manawan Police academy and the Pakistani Elite Force Headquarters. These attacks are a testimony to the attempts being made to weaken an already unstable security and judicial system.

While President Asif Ali Zardari made a statement that these assaults would not deter the country from, "its mission to eliminate the extremists." Pakistan's interior minister Rehman Malik has said that, "The kind of terrorism we are facing; our forces neither had capacity nor training to counter this." Adding to the statement, he said that the government was escalating its drive to strengthen the military capability of the country but that this would take at least six months.

In the past 11 days, starting 5th October 2009, the country has seen ten attacks, which has resulted in the death of more than 150 people. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for most of these attacks, which has highlighted their ability to carry out advanced and planned assails, even against government organizations. The attacks seem to aim at being a deterrence to the offensive, that Islamabad launched on the Taliban stronghold of Waziristan, on Friday.

The continuing attacks against Pakistan seem to be a result of a long drawn out deal process between the country and the terrorist outfit. The Taliban which up till recently, had a strong influence only in the northwestern region of Pakistan, had started to spread terror in other areas. In an attempt to bring attacks to a stop, the Pakistani President had signed a controversial deal in February, agreeing to implementing a stricter Sharia rule in the Malakand region, in exchange of the Taliban laying down its arms. But the deal is still on paper as the government waits for the Taliban to disarm. The militant organization increased its attacks capturing adjoining areas and mosques. The military was forced to launch attacks against them, which has resulted in the Taliban taking the extremist actions against urban Pakistan.

It remains to be seen, whether the government finally bucks up and decides on a rigorous counter plan. Pakistan is already over strained due to an indebted economy and lack of confidence in its leadership, which many accuse has been fighting a proxy war for the West in its war on terror.