The terrifying blast that ripped through the heart of Lahore–which, by extension, has its fingers on the cultural pulse of the country–is ominous for the coming days. From the looks of it, the terror tentacles are back and a much, much greater vigilance is needed. Though a follow-up investigation would shed more light on how a bomb so powerful (that it could send shockwaves to several shops nearby) was brought in the midst of a bustling centre, that too, in broad daylight, one thing is already established: the alleged perpetrators definitely spent a considerable time dotting their i’s and crossing their t’s for the lethal mission. And this fact alone speaks volumes about the urgency in ringing alarm bells. The viciousness of a terror group should not be ascertained by the lives its bloodbath managed to consume but by the red target, it seemed to have in mind. Two lives are said to have been taken this time, but the casualties could have easily crossed dozens, if not hundreds. An incredibly large number of people visit Anarkali Bazaar every day while almost every Lahori loves being mesmerised by its nostalgic scent. Hence, Anwar Masood’s pholiye majjay! But sadly, today is not about shedding tears at the proverbial dent in the wall. It would be no use delaying the fortifying exercises until the situation gets out of hand. Clearly, no one wants a bloodied recap of when barbaric attacks were the order of the day as extremist forces had everywhere from schools to parks to FIA buildings to police stations smacked under their thumb. The last few years have been relatively quiet and the city is not at all ready to start digging graves for its dead everywhere. Now, to say, this unfortunate resurgence is a problem for Lahore alone could not be farther off the mark. Anarkali came on the hard heels of shootout in Islamabad, meaning those carried away by their bloodlust are not yet done shopping. More worryingly, there can be no qualms about the list just beginning to unravel. What does the government do to protect its citizens since the calm is over is a question lingering on every minds. As many wrestled for a good night sleep, hopefully, forces that matter would have pulled an all-nighter coming up with plans to rise to a crescendo! *