The serpent of sectarianism is surfacing its ugly head, after a long time but at a very critical time. On Friday, two motorcyclists intercepted Dr Haider Askari, a senior doctor with a government hospital, in Gulshan-i-Iqbal and shot at and killed him in a drive-by shooting and fled. According to the Gulshan police, Dr Askari was killed for apparently uncertain grounds. It could be for challenging the muggers. Eyewitnesses said the motorcyclists tried to stop the doctor, and when he did not follow their orders, they gunned down him. The deceased was driving home from a government hospital in Korangi, where he was employed. The Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen, a representative of Shias, was quick to call the killing sectarian, and said “The killing of a Shia community member in Karachi prior to Muharram is regrettable,” and demanded that the government probe the incident. Some other sources quoting the doctor’s family said the deceased got threats around two years back. The killing is regrettable and just two days ahead of Muharram, it points to a dangerous trend in waiting. Shia doctors have long been the prime target of sectarian killers across Pakistan. According to SATP Organisation, a web portal on terrorism data on Pakistan, 15 Shia doctors have been killed in Pakistan since 2002. The latest killing occurred after a relative lull of five years as the previous reported target killing took place in 2014. Not only doctors, common Shias, Ahmadis, Christians and other people have been killed for their religious beliefs. Again, data speaks for the gravity of the situation, as since 2002, up to 2,693 Shias have been killed and 4,847 injured across the country in sectarian attacks. Quetta has long been a killing field for Shia Hazaras, where sectarian killers, affiliated with banned outfits, have made Quetta city a no-go area for them. Law-enforcers have failed to stem the tide of attacks. In 2014, when terrorists attacked the Peshawar Army School, the tragedy united the whole political, civil and army leadership on a single-point agenda: terrorism. After a long huddle, the leadership emerged with the National Action Plan (NAP). The terms of the well-thought out plan were promising. Initially, the government showed a strong resolve to follow the NAP terms, and it resulted in a visible reduction of terror-related incidents. Instead of pursuing the plan in letter and spirit, it seems, the authorities have abandoned the plan or have been showing gradual laxity on its implementation. Pakistan cannot afford the second strike of terrorism and sectarianism. The best bet is to take every single incident of terrorism and sectarianism seriously. *