The attack on Chinese Consulate in Karachi was the first attack in the city that was owned by BLA. The press falsely reported it as the second suicide attack by BLA during the year, first being the one in Dalbandeen in Balochistan that had targeted a bus carrying Chinese and local staff of Saindak project. Technically, the attack on the Chinese Consulate was not at all a suicide attack as it was carried out by three armed persons who died in retaliatory firings and none of them had exploded himself during the operation.
The most striking features of the Chinese Consulate attack was the daredevil attitude of the attackers and the timing of the attack. In most of the cases, such attacks are carried out in the early hours of the day rather than after the day break. The attackers in most of the previous incidents had either used police uniform or some other sorts of disguise instead of appearing undisguisedly in plain clothes. The CCTV camera footage of the attack shows that the attackers walked for more than 1000 yards carrying guns in their hands without being resisted or challenged by the security guards. After reaching close to the iron barricade, they hurled a hand grenade and stepped back to possibly avoid injuries from the explosion. Soon after the explosion, they started firing in different directions without encountering any retaliation.
The camera footage ends here and all the details of casualties are based on the reports that appeared in the media. The two policemen at the barricade probably lost their lives soon after the hand grenade explosion but what boggles the mind is the failure of these policemen to notice the gun-carrying militants who were heading towards the barricade they were positioned at.
Weren’t they supposed to challenge the gun carrying militants that were heading towards them? What kept them oblivious of this upcoming danger? It is also reported that at the time of attack nearly 35 personnel of Police, Rangers, and FC were positioned at the Consulate. What’s the purpose of such a large security force when the terrorists can manage to walk freely in their area brandishing their guns and facing no retaliation? This aspect of the attack remains a mystery to this day as most of the reports and TV coverage never touched upon it.
There are many other unexplained aspects of this incident that were intentionally or unintentionally left ambiguous or untouched. For example, who put up the resistance against the terrorists soon after the attackers began their operation if we believe that the policemen at the barricade had lost their lives soon after the hand grenade explosion. The private security guards who had supposedly taken shelter inside the main entrance gate of the consulate right after the terror attack were probably the ones who kept resisting the attackers till the most popular character of this episode, SSP Suhai Talpur, appeared at the scene. Based on her accounts of the incident, there was an exchange of firing going on when she arrived there.
Suhai Talpur also claims that soon after her arrival, she took up a position to fire at the attackers. With no bullet-proof jacket on and a small pistol in her hand, taking such a bold step against three well-armed attackers was nothing but an invitation to serious repercussions. Even the Federal Minister, Faisal Vawda, was more careful to the requirement of a bullet-proof jacket when he ventured to appear at the scene though it wasn’t his area of domain. This is not an attempt to belittle the bravery exhibited by the lady SSP in showing up first at the spot which, in many respect, was unprecedented. No doubt, her quick and brave response to the call of her duty in the face of serious danger deserves to be commended and rewarded too. However, bravery and responsibility don’t mean to be negligent or careless to the SOP especially by those who are always exposed to serious threat to their lives.
The suicide attack in Orakzai agency got lost somewhere amid these discussions and media coverage of the Chinese Consulate attack. With more than 80 casualties to deal with, the victims and their families must have suffered a very agonizing situation because of the limited medical facilities available in the area
Unlike the Chinese Consulate attackers, the suicide bomber in Orakzai came on a bike, entered the Kayla Bazaar covering his face and exploded himself before anybody could have sensed the danger he was posing to them. Mind it, the Bazar didn’t have as good a security coverage as the Chinese Consulate had. Yet, the attacker tried to keep his face shrouded to avoid any recognition. From the media reports of the incident, it remained unclear as to who were the basic target of the attack until the banned militant outfit, Islamic State (Daesh), claimed their responsibility for the attack and proudly announced that 57 Shiites were killed and 75 were wounded in the attack. What further transpired later from another report was that three poor persons belonging to Hindu community were also among the victims of this attack.
What feeling of joy and bravery do these militants gain out of killing the innocent people hailing from a miniscule minority community in the region is beyond one’s comprehension but to keep the facts hiding about the victims of violence appears to be a kind of self-censoring attempt by the media to avoid any untoward repercussions in the society from sharing such sensitive information. Whatever be the reason, the claimant of this attack, Daish, is notoriously famous for its hatred towards sectarian and communal diversity of the society and when they make any claim for attack, in most of the cases it turns out be a sectarian violence. From 2016 to November 2018, Daesh has claimed responsibility for fifteen suicide attacks and majority of them were on sectarian lines that included Sufi pilgrims at Shah Noorani, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, and Dargah Pir Pak. The people belonging to Shia, Christian, and Hindu community have also been victims of some of these attacks.
The day the two attacks in Karachi and Orakzai agency took place, the media, the politicians, and all our civil and military officials kept discussing the Chinese Consulate attack, the bravery of female SSP Suhai Talpur, and the Indian conspiracy to sabotage the CPEC program. The suicide attack in Orakzai agency got lost somewhere amid these discussions and media coverage of the Chinese Consulate attack. With more than 80 casualties to deal with, the victims and their families must have suffered a very agonizing situation because of the limited medical facilities available in the area. The lack of required media coverage to a terror attack whose casualties were multiple times higher than the Chinese Consulate attack must have conveyed a negative message to the victims, their families, and the people living in the region. Nothing could be more suitable for our enemies to make use of such negligence for their negative propaganda against the country. Talking of hybrid war makes no sense when we, ourselves, are more ignorant of our responsibilities and ready to commit mistakes in dealing with the victims of violence especially those who form the most vulnerable segment of our society — the minority.
Freelance journalist and senior research fellow, Centre for Research and Security Studies. He can be reached at: [email protected]
Published in Daily Times, December 5th 2018.