Marriott Blast

No amount of condemnation of the Marriott blast killing around 60 and injuring more than 250 will be enough. It was indeed the most horrific bomb blast in the history of the country. A lot is being said against the security and law and order agencies for lowering their guard and becoming lax and complacent after the completion of the Presidential address to the Joint Session of the Parliament. People are also at a loss to understand as to how could a six wheeler dumper truck loaded with a ton of the most lethal explosives manage its way to the most secure Red Zone area of the capital. However, to my mind there is yet an other aspect of the mystery which needs careful attention of us all. The suicide driver of the dumper truck is said to have shouted at the security men of the hotel and other standing by to get away as an explosion was to occur after three minutes. This is something very strange for a person about to commit suicide to warn others to escape the explosion. Why did he have any consideration for them at such a crucial time of his life? The obvious answer to it is that he wanted only the inmates of the hotel to parish and not the security personnel and others around. I think he must have been brain washed that only the foreigners and the drinking, dancing and swimming infidels were in the hotel that he must kill. Therefore, he cautioned the Muslim security men and others outside the hotel to get away before the explosion took place. If we recollect, one of three suicide bombers of the POF Wah, who was taken alive by police, had also stated that they had been told that there were  foreigners working in the Wah factories producing bullets and weapons that killed them (Taliban). However when he saw people with beards and Muslim dresses coming out of the gates of the factory, he changed his mind to kill them and ran away.  I suggest our anti-terrorist agencies take notice of such "˜Foreign/Infidel based" strategy employed by the extremists in brain washing the naïve and apart from taking suitable measures to counter it must also take fool proof measures for the  protection of such likely targets which could easily be misconstrued by the simpleton to be  non-Muslim or foreign, especially American, set ups or organisations.

Truly

Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd)

30, Westriodge-1

Rawalpindi 46000

Tel: 546 3344