THE absence of large-scale sectarian violence in the last few weeks should be no cause for complacency. The menace of sectarianism is alive and well in Pakistan, as illustrated by the tragic targeted killing of two Hazara Shia brothers in Quetta on Monday, the latest among a series of such murders in the city since April. The men, both in their 20s, were outside a passport office when two assailants gunned them down and also killed a policeman who confronted them. While the operations being carried out by the military in the northern areas and by the Rangers and police in Karachi appear to have disrupted sectarian-jihadi networks to some extent, the massacre of Ismaili Shias on May 13 in Karachi shows that their capacity to unleash mass murder has certainly not been neutralised. That is even more so a cause for concern whenever a religiously significant event in the Muslim calendar — such as Hazrat Ali’s death anniversary which will fall tomorrow — comes around and is commemorated with majalis and processions.

By their very definition, processions are relatively difficult to secure. A mass of people moving along a route with potentially multiple points of vulnerability are a security challenge of no mean proportions. And conversely, one that extremists are tempted to exploit. In 2009, the bombing of an Ashura procession in Karachi killed around 50 people, while in early 2012, a similar attack on a Chehlum procession in Rahim Yar Khan left nearly 20 dead. Religious tensions also run high on such occasions: a communal clash in Rawalpindi two years ago, reportedly incited by provocative sermons from a mosque along an Ashura procession route, resulted in a number of deaths. For their part, the authorities have of late pulled out all the stops — including recourse to aerial surveys — to ensure that peace is maintained on these sensitive days. However, while Ashura and Chehlum processions/gatherings have been targeted most often, the authorities cannot afford to let down their guard on other similar commemorative occasions.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2015

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