Daily Times

It took only seventeen hours and six to twelve heavily armed terrorists to convert PNS Mehran from an icon of Pakistani naval power to an image of world concern. The attack on a heavily fortified base, which serves as the backbone for not only the Navy for its aerial operations but also the Air Force, truly is a cause for concern. Without doubt, our security forces gave a tough challenge to the intruders and fought vehemently, but the nation has been unnerved. In the aftermath of the attack, details have started to trickle out regarding the modus operandi of the terrorists. This was not any random suicide mission aimed to create a huge body count. The attack was well coordinated and the terrorists had accurate intelligence of what, when and how to target. The assault targeted specifically the surveillance and intelligence gathering capacity of the Pakistan Navy. Reports have also emerged that the terrorists did not target any transport aircraft, which were on their approach towards the specified objectives, which were the P-3C Orions. The foreign engineers present at the site are also believed to have been the targets of the assault. It is not necessary to mention here what importance these US supplied aircraft held for the security of the country, as the details are all over the media.

I am not a military expert, but the attack seemed to be a by-the-book special operations raid, using minimum resources to inflict maximum damage. A lot of people were surprised at the expertise of the terrorists who carried out this crime. Pseudo-experts appearing on various channels refused to recognise this act of terror as being possible without ‘hidden hands’ or ‘foreign elements’. This has again raised the acceptance of conspiracy theories and the conversations on roadside tea stalls and current affairs programmes range from the neutralisation of nuclear assets by the West to a full-scale invasion. It is unfortunate that no one bothers to analyse the terrorist events of the recent past, otherwise they would find a clear signature of al Qaeda all over this incident. These replicated the attacks associated with al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia during 2003-04. The incidents took place at well-guarded facilities and the implementation methods were similar to the attack in Karachi. The assault in Riyadh on the foreigners’ compound, in Khobar on the Oasis Compound and in Jeddah on the US Consulate were all carried out by al Qaeda. They were all precise and cohesive attacks, targeted at foreigners, aimed at sending out a horrible message to the world.

Similarly, we do not have to go far for proving the operational capabilities of al Qaeda. The attack on General Headquarters (GHQ) at Rawalpindi and Sri Lankan cricket team at Lahore in 2009 and the Marriott Hotel bombing at Islamabad in 2008 are all clear examples of the terrorist organisation’s capabilities. Over the years, al Qaeda has introduced even more sophistication to its attacks. Added to this, the al Qaeda-Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) nexus has synergised the effectiveness of terrorist incidents. It is a fact that both these organisations have conjoined their networks and are effectively using each other’s resources to carry out their activities. The trail of the PNS Mehran incident leads to the two major figureheads of al Qaeda: Saif Al-Adal and Ilyas Kashmiri. Ilyas Kashmiri has long been associated with various jihadi organisations and is currently the chief strategist for al Qaeda. He has been the planner for various notorious attacks on the security forces, including the GHQ incident. Saif Al-Adal, an Egyptian now based in Waziristan, has recently been hurled into the top most position of the organisation, after the death of Osama bin Laden. He is considered to be an experienced and seasoned commander of al Qaeda. Both seem to be on a rampage, proving the operational effectiveness of the organisation, with the new and improved leadership.

The event is not isolated and, contrary to common belief, it is not aimed at destabilising Pakistan only. There are further ominous developments across Pakistan borders, which have been taking place before, and following the terrorist act at PNS Mehran. On May 22, before the incident in Karachi, gunmen stormed government buildings in eastern Afghanistan, which resulted in a fierce gun battle, while on May 25 a minor blast took place outside the Delhi High Court in India. It only takes someone with common sense to connect the dots. Al Qaeda has always remained an organisation with a global reach; currently it is effectively trying to reclaim its legacy, which was dampened after 9/11. The attacks in Khost, Karachi and Delhi are only a stark reminder of how, eventually, they want to destabilise the entire region. With the three neighbouring countries already launching accusations and counter-accusations, among heightened tensions, the leadership of al Qaeda is trying to catalyse open confrontation among the neighbours. With the public and official stand in all three countries blaming the involvement of ‘foreign hands’, it is obvious that the work of al Qaeda has been considerably advanced.

Each country carries a historic burden, which al Qaeda is now planning to use in order to further its agenda. With the situation created through this tension and confrontation, al Qaeda will have ample time to regroup and reassert its position. The world is in shock after the recent developments in Pakistan, but their concern should not be only for Pakistan, it should be for the entire region. It is important that Pakistan, India and Afghanistan realise the gravity of the threat they are facing, and instead of public point scoring and shifting blame, they should look forward to working with each other to eradicate terrorism and terrorist sanctuaries from this region. In Pakistan we have a more uphill task, as we are in the eye of the storm. Our people have suffered greatly at the hands of these terrorists and our armed forces and security agencies have given great sacrifices while fighting this menace. The burden is on every citizen of Pakistan not to let the sacrifices of these martyrs go in vain. Terrorism and extremism is our real enemy. Those seventeen hours should be enough evidence for any patriot who or what is the real threat to the sovereignty of Pakistan.

The writer is an Islamabad-based consultant. She can be reached at coordinator@individualland.com