Daily Times

A series of explosions rocked the Indonesian capital Jakarta on January 14 accompanied by gun battles on the streets. The blasts were centred around Thamrin Street, a major shopping and business district close to foreign embassies and the United Nations offices. The assault left five attackers, a Canadian and an Indonesian man dead and 20 others injured. Eyewitnesses said that six gunmen on motorbikes entered the downtown area carrying rifles, shooting into the crowd, with some carrying explosives. Islamic State (IS) has claimed that the attack was carried out by its “soldiers” against citizens from the “crusader coalition”, referring to the US-led alliance combating the jihadists. It was the first major attack in Jakarta since the 2009 simultaneous attacks on the J W Marriott and Ritz Carlton hotels. The attack has similarities with the November 13 Paris massacre in which terrorists linked to IS struck several locations at the same time.

The attack on the Indonesian capital is sadly part of a pattern that has been repeating itself in several ountries around the world in recent months. Fears are growing that no place is safe at the hands of terrorists. It is a horrible situation that needs measures on a war footing. There is no need for IS to reach the lands of its opponents physically. It just needs the help of its affiliates to let loose hell in any part of the world. The Jakarta attack is also a wake-up call for the government of Pakistan that it should gird up its loins against this new wave of terror. So far, our interior ministry has been in a state of denial about the presence of Daesh or IS in Pakistan. Our worthy interior minister needs to know that by burying your head in the sand, reality will not change. There is no need for IS militants to physically come here. Rather they can use their affiliates and likeminded extremist elements to wage war against the state. The government has to react quickly to this new phenomenon. There is no room for complacency. Our law enforcement agencies and other concerned authorities have to thoroughly review the situation. It is not possible to secure every public space. What the government can do is to take preventive measures to thwart these terrorist attacks. In order to prevent such attacks, the security agencies need to employ better intelligence and need more effective sharing of information to tackle this common enemy. Moreover, unity at the international level is necessary to defeat these terrorists who are using religion as their shield and justification. *