“All I was thinking was that I had to detonate myself near as many people as possible. When I decided it was the right time, it was a moment of happiness for me,” chilling words from a 14 year old suicide bomber who was involved in a suicide attack in the first week of April 2011, at the Sakhi Sarwar shrine in Punjab. This attack killed at least 41 people and injured several others.
The last decade of Pakistan’s history has witnessed some of the worst bloodshed due to the rise of suicide bombings all across the country. From a few isolated incidents in the 80s and 90s, suicide bombings have become the weapon of choice for extremist groups. The suicide attacks have been progressively increasing in numbers and ferocity since 2001. One look at the number of attacks and the resulting casualties makes us realize that the monster unleashed in the name of various geopolitical agendas has turned on us in the worst way. The table below shows the number of suicide attacks and the resulting deaths since 2001.
Suicide Attacks Since 2001 | |||||
Year |
2001 to 2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
Total |
Total attacks | 130 | 86 | 52 | 12 | 280 |
Total death | 1883 | 1217 | 1224 | 82* | 4324 |
Total wounded | 3819 | 2305 | 2157 | 341 | 8622 |
The Unfortunate Targets
The targets of these attacks initially were security forces and government establishment, but over time this has become a ‘nothing is off-limits’ game. The suicide bombers have been attacking shops, mosques, funeral processions, shrines, educational institutions and several other ‘soft’ targets. The army and law-enforcement personnel are no longer the only casualties; it now includes women, children, and elderly as well. Suicide bombings have historically been used as a means to resist foreign military occupation, but this is not the case in Pakistan because there is no direct military occupation. The targets of the bombings are mostly state authorities, US interests and religious/sectarian. The operation in Lal Masjid was the turning point for these bombings because after that the extremists came down hard on the state and the military operation in the tribal areas of Waziristan and Swat only escalated it.
What Drives the Suicide Bombers?
Suicide bombing is one of the ugliest and the most menacing forms of terrorism plaguing Pakistan. The person blowing himself up is merely a tool and it is not possible to devise a fool-proof mechanism to foil every suicide bombing attempt. Clearly identifying the factors that make the bomber commit this heinous act is the key to uprooting this evil. Many reasons and explanations have been put forth by government officials, law enforcement personnel, academics and other sections of the society. Without a doubt, it is a very complex issue which has its roots in a number of factors including religious extremism, foreign intervention, political instability, economic conditions, poverty, etc. Several studies have identified that the youth of the tribal areas from where most suicide bombers are recruited, are driven by a set of factors including hatred of government policies, lack of education, unemployment and the severe lack of basic amenities.
Religious extremism is cited as one of the primary reasons for the rise of terrorism, especially suicide bombings in Pakistan. It is true to some extent that the distorted religious information fed to the impressionable recruits helps in motivating and recruiting the suicide bombers, but beyond that, social and cultural factors also play an important part in the decision of the recruit to commit for the gruesome task. There are several other factors also at play, such as:
- Many would be suicide bombers experience a lack of personal identity and the strong religious influence in their environment fills the gap so that their religious identity takes the driving seat.
- The ‘war on terror’ has created a shared identification among the Muslims all across the globe. They identify with the misery and the plight of their brethren and develop a strong sense of resentment and anger towards the western powers and their allies. This sense of brotherhood makes the jobs of the masterminds easy when recruiting the young bombers.
- The military might and the endless resources of the western countries involved in the war on terror create a sense of desperation which suggests that it is not possible to fight these powers one-on-one. Therefore, the only methods left are such extreme activities that can cause significant damage at a lower human cost.
- Revenge is another strong motivator; the Pakistani government’s war against terror has created a lot of personal tragedies. Countless families have lost one or more members of the family. It becomes very easy for the recruiters to convince the vengeful and desperate young men to not only exact their revenge, but also find their way to heaven.
What can be done to stop these heinous acts?
The Pakistani government has been trying hard to curb terrorism in general and suicide bombings specifically, but the increase in the frequency and ferocity of these acts clearly indicates that the efforts of the government are falling short. In order to effectively address this problem the government needs to take some of the following steps:
- Instead of using religious extremism as the scapegoat, acknowledge the socioeconomic factors mentioned above that are among the driving forces behind suicide bombings.
- Enhance the operational capabilities of the law enforcement agencies by providing them with the training and equipment necessary to stop these attacks.
- Engage the civil society, especially the clergy and religious scholars, so that they can reach out to the masses in the areas from where the bombers are recruited and educate them about the folly of this act. Many religious scholars have categorically denounced suicide bombings which helps to counter the propaganda of the extremists. It is encouraging to see that the majority of the public does not support the suicide attacks which shows that continued efforts to raise awareness can be helpful in this fight
Regardless of how well-equipped and trained we are, the definite solution for this problem is to eliminate the root causes of the problem. As long as the Pakistani government fails to acknowledge the root causes of this problem, the human bombs will keep decimating the innocent people.
Without A sense ov caring,there can be no sence ov comunity……Terrorism has no religion,terrorist have no religion and they are friend of no religion………….May Allah protect our pakistan from terrorist…we will rise INSHAALLAH Pakistan my LOVE my PASSION…..love you PAKISTAN…
Still we love U PAKISTAN
LonG live PAKISTAN
still we love U PAKISTAN
Long live PAKISTAN
Ladies & Gentlemen Mr Ragoo and many self centered personalities will keep blowing their own trumpet’s.We dont have to worry about that .Remember truth always face criticism reality is opposed by lies and right is contested by wrong.In our personal capacity and the youth of Pakistan we need to concentrate on education, Poverty alleviation and unity as a nation.
ok raghoo,it may be funny,but it is even funnier that you indians talk about peace,can u plss brief that wat is happening in kashmir since last 5 decades????????leave kashmir,wat happened in gujrat????thousands of muslims were killed,wat u did to baabri mosque?????mashALLAH by the garce of ALLAH atleast in our country pakistani hindus are free to obey their religion,n u have never heard any thing about this,ur sikh community comes to pak every year to hassan abdal to perform their pilgrimage,thousands of hindus comes every year from india to hanglaaj mata’s darshan in balochistan,have u ever haerd that they have got in trouble???????????go and wash ur face,and awake from the dream of this rivalray
we are suffering from afghan terrorists,because india is providing financial support and facilitates the afghan jihadi groups and the terrorists in balochistan
but still,we have never thought of harming ur people who comes to our country,u know y?????because islam is all about peac e,terrorism it doesnt mean
go and study quran,u will get ur answer
zabardast muslima its vry good ans……………………
and it is verymuch funny tht u pakistani ppl want to leave peacefully….itz a millenium joke,,,!!!
lol….it was alwayz on da cards tht one day pakistan gonna face the music of the terrorism…coz dis terrorism is sponsered by the pakistan…whole wrld knws tht pakistan was the first state to acknowledge the taliban govt in afghanistan…many tyms itz xposed tht the intelligence of pakistan ISI is directly involved in many of terror attacks…wid dis bleady jihad many innocent ppl hv been killed…nw whn their own ppl r getting killed they r feeling the pain…no one can save pakistan….itz drowned ….!!!
Raghoo: I have approved one of your comment and have trashed the other one and I am sure you know why. You are more than welcome to share your views and thoughts but I would appreciate if you avoid the hateful comments.
Thank you for your contribution.
Pakistan had acknowledged Taliban Government because at that time they were the Mujahideen and America was backing them to kick the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan so it could become the super power.
Talking about ISI, India is never going to like it because that is how we are so much into you. After all that has happened over the last decade, a research came out in February 2011 and America has itself declared ISI as the best Intelligence agency in the world. So we don’t mind all the bashing as long as the boys are doing their job.
I know it’s the Indian dream to break Pakistan into pieces by supporting the TTP in Pakistan and Afghanistan and BLA in Balochistan. Pakistan has the proof of Indian involvement in the terror attacks in Pakistan but unfortunately we have the most corrupt and Fasadi government who has sold the very soul of Pakistan to India and US.
But I just want to tell you that we as people of Pakistan want to leave peacefully and want a peaceful co-existence but if anybody tries to mess with us, we are not going to sit and watch.
@ omer….ur mistaken…ISI was never been an intelligence agency….itz a terrorist outfit wearing a mask of intelligence…and for ur kind information itz pakistan who supports the killings of innocents not india…u knw tht very well…every1 knows tht it is pakistan who is sponsoring cross border terrorism….and india has nothing to do with the internal matters of pakistan….india never indulges in others internal matters…infact when pakistan has suffered with heavy floods india has helped pakistan by sending….if u dunt know abt these developments thn better get aware of india’s gr8ness…ur politicians wants 2 b in power by showing india as a ….tht is wht they gave u in 60 odd years of independence…c the lives of pakistanis and the standard of living of pakistanis…ur pakistani regime is bothered abt hw to send the militants into india and hw to xecute the destructive activities…thtz it….!!! my dear come out of hatred against india u pakistanis get nothing for that instead u loose …..pakistan cannot develop without the cooperation of india…and dunt forget tht @ the tym of partition india gave pakistan a huge amount for the reconstruction of pakistan….!!! tht is india….!!! if tht wasnt given now u wouldnt hv been ……infact whole pakistan…..so leave hatred….
Raghoo – On one hand you are talking about living peacefully and on the other hand your comment is full of hatred itself. You have blamed ISI and Pakistan for so much while talking about “peace”?
India is a bigger country than Pakistan and it has developed itself and it has flourished. That’s great and we don’t have a problem with that. You guys have worked hard and so you ought to achieve it. That doesn’t mean we want to create problems in your country. We have never had a problem with India. The problem is that of Kashmir and you have created that yourself by occupying a country illegally. If India will leave Kashmir, I don’t see where is the problem?
You guys have the wrong perception that Pakistani’s hate you. You will have to take this crap out of mind that your media and Government is feeding inside you.
raghoo.
one day we well over come this situation we pakistani are proud of ISI and our Army we are not begging for peace its also india need to be in peace once we have the oppertunity to divert Afgan jehadi toward kashmir but we didnt we muslim are the peace loving but if we are not kept in peace then we are the worst. as you seen in the near past. if indian dont like peace so we too.do what you can do wether you finance terroriest groups are some other militant groups now it is your turn when it will be our turn you will see how the muslims of subcontenant fight for the libration of not only kashmir but for the whole of hindustan because once our forfathers Roled we pakistani are still with high morel we dont afraid of the situation that we are facing God is guiding us to play a leading role in the future world . don’t underestimate Pakistan Army and ISI it is not that now that it was a decade before. ISI is alone fighting more than a dozen agencies Love you ISI and Pak Army. A great Nation is on your back long live and God Bless you ISI and Pak Army Jawans.
Pakistan zindabad
itz very funny tht u paakistani ppl talking abt peace…!!!
Pakistan jaisa mulk pooori duniya main nahi hey. I love Pakistan.
i love pakistan…
May Allah protect pakistanis and all muslims all over the world
Ameen
WE LOVE YOU PAKISTAN…….. GOD BLESS YOU….. WE ARE HERE FOR YOU PAKISTAN… ANYTIME..,,
Incompetent government needs a scapegoat.
God bless you Pakistan……..