PKPolitics Discuss » Current Issues

The suicide attacks/bombs in Pakistan BEFORE 2004

(9 posts)

  1. LiberalKarachi
    Member

    * 19 November 1995: There was a suicide bomb in 1995 in Islamabad when the bomber rammed his truck, full of explosives, into an Egyptian embassy (american embassy was the ultimate target but it was heavily fortified) - killing 14 people. The attack was planned by two of our favourite terrorists out there - yep, you guessed it - Mr. Zawahiri and Mr. Osama Bin Laden. Mr. Zawahiri even writes about this little incident in his autobiography. Here is an image from a newspaper from 1995 showing the news: http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1309&dat=19951118&id=1p4WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tx4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=3683,4472516

    * 8 May 2002: There was another suicide bomb in May 2002, which attacked French engineers outside Karachi's Sheraton Hotel. 14 people including 11 French engineers were killed in this attack. The militants were from Harkat Jihad-e-Islami. The News narrates the story: http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=695

    * In June 2002, another suicide bomber detonated a truck full of explosives outside of American embassy in Karachi killing 12 people. The terrorists behind this attack then issued a warning: "America, its allies and its slave Pakistani rulers should be prepared for more attacks.". According to CNN: http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/06/14/karachi.blast/

    * In December 2003, there was a suicide attack in Rawalpindi targeting Pervez Musharraf, killing 5 people. Source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-12/26/content_293552.htm

    * In 2004, there were five suicide attacks, one against the PM. In total, 57 people were killed.

    * In 2005, there were two suicide attacks.

    -----

    The above was my reply to another thread (http://pkpolitics.com/discuss/topic/operation-against-extremists-in-punjab?replies=18#post-158306 ), but i thought others might find the information useful and so proceeded to create a new thread.

    Posted 1 year ago on 21 Jun 2010 20:26 #

  2. LiberalKarachi
    Member

    This to me indicates that the issue of terrorism and suicide bombing is much more subtle, complex and deep-rooted than many of us think. These acts are simply not just out of revenge by the tribal people, or poverty or a reaction to USA's invasion of Afg/iraq - but very much a problem from within ourselves and we shouldn't simplify it. It is a complex issue, only marginally dealing with the post-2001 foreign policy of the West. We must question, why were there suicide attacks in Pakistan in as early as 1995?

    Posted 1 year ago on 21 Jun 2010 20:45 #

  3. wantinsaf
    Member

    Egyptian Embassy attack doesn't involve so called war against terror which started after 9/11 incident in 2001.

    Musharaf,the monster,had always been a danger to pakistan and anyone attempting to kill him could never be anti Pakistan.

    In more than 50 years,we had 4 attacks but due to American war we have more than 4 attacks every months.This ver fact tells us where we went wrong.

    Our dilemna is we have got servants in power who have always worked for their master's interests.Any one with character,courage and inclination towards religion can easily help us get rid of terrorism provided he comes into power.But the beneficiaries of injustice,inequality and ineffective election process are not letting honest people from typical Pakistani background.We are loosing this war and eventually drifting towards civil war because of ruling elites and statues quo.

    Posted 1 year ago on 22 Jun 2010 12:45 #

  4. sweettruth
    Member

    @wantinsaf

    Why do you always support talibans and their terrorist activities? Why Imran/PTI is the biggest taliban lobby in Pakistan? No wonder why you lack public support and your tanga size pressure group PTI will always shrink in Pakistani politics. Stop opposing Army action against Punjabi taliban faction in South Punjab.

    Death to all taliban terrorist
    Long Live Pakistan

    Posted 1 year ago on 22 Jun 2010 14:42 #

  5. LiberalKarachi
    Member

    First of all I would like to apologise if i've hurt any pro-taliban/pro-al qaeeda person's/political party's feelings in showing barbarism of terrorists pre-2004.

    @wantinsaf,
    "Egyptian Embassy attack doesn't involve so called war against terror which started after 9/11 incident in 2001."

    It is precisely the same war (even without the same title) with the same people, enemies and most importantly the ideology: Zawahiri, Bin Laden and other so called taliban mujaheeden. Here is the quote from Zawahiri (Bin Laden's right hand man) own autobiography (written by Zawahiri himself) regarding the Islamabad suicide attack: "After studying the situation we decided to assign a group to react to this and we assigned their targets, first bombing the American embassy in Islamabad and if that wasn't easy, then one of the American targets in Islamabad. If that didn't work, then the target should be bombing a Western embassy famous for its historic hatred for Muslims, and if not that, then the Egyptian embassy. Our extensive and detailed surveillance found that targeting the American Embassy was beyond the abilities of the assigned group, so we decided to study one of the American targets in Islamabad, and we discovered it has few American employees and most of the victims would be Pakistani. We also discovered that targeting the other Western embassies was beyond the abilities of the assigned group, so we settled on targeting the Egyptian embassy in Islamabad, which was not only running a campaign for chasing Arabs in Pakistan but also spying on the Arab Mujahedeen…".

    Their ideology is the same which it was in 1995. They didn't care who or how many innocent people got killed as long as they achieved their goals.

    The fundamental point is Imran Khan and co. have been peddling the idea that these terrorists are a by-product of 9/11 and WoT, which history proves is not the case. These terrorist, militant outfits, suicide bombers and extremist ideologues are a part of our society, making their defeat in our interest.

    Not only that attack but there was also a suicide attack on Sheraton Hotel in May 2002, another suicide bomb in Rawalpindi in 2003 killing 5 innocent people as well as attempting to kill Musharraf, another suicide attack on American embassy in Karachi in June 2002. So Imran Khan and PTI peddling the idea that "There was no suicide attack in Pakistan before 2004" is historically wrong.

    "In more than 50 years,we had 4 attacks but due to American war we have more than 4 attacks every months.This ver fact tells us where we went wrong."

    Wow! Logic so absurd that it is worthy of being called 'Imran-Khan' logic. FYI, the phenomena of terrorism is not 50 years old but post-Soviet Russia war. This is when these terrorists were nurtured and militant religious outfits were made.

    As for your point on the frequency of suicide attacks, suppose there is a bee nest in your back garden from where several bees fly and sting you once in a while. What would be the logical course of action: remove the nest while it is small or letting the bees multiply and make the bee nest thousand times bigger? Obviously, the former option, but when you try and remove the bee nest you will obviously face the repercussions (sting attacks) from the bees. Alternatively, if you wait and let the bees multiply then you will face an even bigger and fiercer repercussion when you do try and de-nest it. You will have to remove the bee nest sooner and later because as the bees multiply in the bee nest, their onslaught against you will increase in numbers too. The same situation is with the terrorists: you will have to disband them sooner and later - and once you try and do that, their onslaught will only increase, therefore the frequency of their attack increasing after 2004 is hardly a surprise. It is also wiser to remove them sooner instead of letting them multiply and expand their operation - either way you will have to fight them and take casualties as with any war.

    Posted 1 year ago on 24 Jun 2010 19:25 #

  6. wantinsaf
    Member

    @LiberalKarachi
    First you need to educate yourself on this subject.Zawahiri and Bin Laden are not Talibans,they rather were part of Al-qaeda.It has been more than 3 decades that they have failed to merge with each other and even have differences with each other on almost every matter.

    Talibans even ready to punish Bin Laden if they had been provided proof of his involvement in 9/11 incidents.

    If all the terrorists are same,then there should be again a military operation against MQM terrorists as they too have found involved in killing thousands of innocent people.Military operation against MQM terrorists is wrong how could it be right against Talibans?

    Someone wise once said "there is no comparison between apples and oranges".How can human behaviour in times of war be compared with bees?

    Bees produce honey and honey is cure for thousands of diseases.And we must allow bees to produce honey in our gardens rather than home.

    Military operations is tried and failed strategy which only leads to more radicalism.Why we opt for military operations is due to incompetent and impotent ruling elite which is only concerned about its own vested interest.

    India,US,UK,Russia,Israel,Germany,France and almost all the countries have witnessed more than 4 attacks.If we had not worked on American agenda after 9/11,we would have been a safe country.But our ruling elite is supposed to serve their American masters.
    And PTI has always contended if we had not worked with US and Talibans in war against USSR,we would have been more safe and in a better position.But again we are supposed to serve US.

    Posted 1 year ago on 26 Jun 2010 12:38 #

  7. Sharif Aadmi
    Member

    Wantinsaf

    U can't comapre talibans /alqaeeda and MQM .

    There is one fundamental difference which u won't accept .i.e.

    MQM is representative of masses and legitimate citizens of pakistan .

    Now tell me

    What visa these talibans/alqaeeda guys from whole ARAB world and Central ASia have got ?

    U and your leader is champ of law , tell me the legitimicay they have got to stay on the pakistani land ?

    Posted 1 year ago on 26 Jun 2010 13:56 #

  8. Sharif Aadmi
    Member

    WantInsaf

    U & your leader is so against the war on terror but

    WHY IK and PTI supported Mushfraf in referendum after he had already joined war on terror ?

    If IK's apology for this is acceptable than why u blame NS or BB for supporting afghan war during 80's and 90's ?

    Posted 1 year ago on 26 Jun 2010 13:58 #

  9. LiberalKarachi
    Member

    @wantinsaf,

    "First you need to educate yourself on this subject.Zawahiri and Bin Laden are not Talibans,they rather were part of Al-qaeda.It has been more than 3 decades that they have failed to merge with each other and even have differences with each other on almost every matter."

    It makes little difference whether you want to call them Al Qaeeda or Taliban, it is the ideology that we are dealing with. Bin Laden and Taliban are a by-product of the same tree. Both of them are the same menace that needs to be eradicated. As for talibans in Pakistan, do u seriously think there is no nexus between Al Qaeeda and the talibans in Pakistan? All of the evidence and investigations have conclusively suggested that. So the attack by Al Qaeeda is same as the attacks by the forces with a nexus with Al Qaeeda: radicals in Pakistan who carried out, for instance the attacks on Sheraton Hotel, were local terrorists/talibans.

    "Bees produce honey and honey is cure for thousands of diseases.And we must allow bees to produce honey in our gardens rather than home."

    So what "cure" or benefit do you/Imran khan/PTI want to derive out of terrorists breeding in Pakistan?

    "Military operations is tried and failed strategy which only leads to more radicalism.Why we opt for military operations is due to incompetent and impotent ruling elite which is only concerned about its own vested interest."

    You need to come out of ur wishful thinking that there are not genuinely radicalised people who belive in brute force and imposition of their system. Look at Uzbekistan, if you dont think these people really do exist. As Swat proved, military operation is sometimes the only solution. You can only negogiate who wants to be negotiated. Sri Lanka and Tamil tigers are another fine example how sometimes you have no choice but to use force.

    "India,US,UK,Russia,Israel,Germany,France and almost all the countries have witnessed more than 4 attacks.If we had not worked on American agenda after 9/11,we would have been a safe country.But our ruling elite is supposed to serve their American masters."

    As I already showed, extremist people, whether you want to call them Taliban or Al Qaeeda or terrorists, existed before 9/11 and 2004. If you still want to ignore the internal radicalsim in Pakistan, whether that be due to sectarian violence, or suicide bombs on hotels - and place the whole blame on USA/Israel or 9/11 - then i can understand the symptoms: the symptoms of denial, brain-washing which also happens to infiltrate the minds of the ultra-radicals/extemists in Pakistan. Unfortunetly, there is no simple cure for that.

    "And PTI has always contended if we had not worked with US and Talibans in war against USSR,we would have been more safe and in a better position."

    Really? I want to see some evidence for this, because i have heard imran khan saying the contrary and saying the afghanis are our muslim brothers, so we had to do that.

    Posted 1 year ago on 30 Jun 2010 21:03 #

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