Recent terror attacks in Pakistan again underline the state’s inability to safeguard its citizens’ constitutional right to life. On September 29th, a day of cultural significance in the country marking the birthday of Prophet Muhammad, a pair of terror attacks tragically shifted the mood from celebration to mourning. Twin bombings at mosques resulted in the deaths of at least 59 individuals, with many more injured.
The first and most deadly incident occurred in the district of Mastung, Balochistan, where a suicide bomber claimed the lives of at least 54 individuals during a march observing Prophet Muhammad’s birthday. The second blast targeted a mosque in Hangu, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and resulted in the loss of at least five additional lives.
In the aftermath of these tragic events, an assertion of responsibility for the Mastung attack surfaced on a social media account allegedly associated with Indian spy agency ‘RAW.’ Yet, concerns surrounding the current security crisis are less focused on claims of responsibility and more urgent for the unmerciful, recurring circle of violence affecting Pakistan’s communities.
Indeed, an unsettling sense of desensitization appears to have taken hold, given the frequency and quantitative extent of these attacks, particularly emphasized by the similarly shocking suicide bombing that happened in the district Bajaur on July 30th. People only seem stirred out of their numbness when the toll of casualties is particularly high. Such apathy is not due to cruelty or indifference, but rather a response to the distressingly recurrent incidents of violence.
For more than two decades, Pakistan has been embroiled in the so-called ‘war on terror,’ incurring a significant loss of approximately 83,000 lives and incurring $126 billion in expenses. Despite these considerable sacrifices, the country continues to battle with violent extremism, as evidenced by findings in the Global Terrorism Index Report for 2023.
This reality substantiates concerns expressed by Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, urgings to address the persistent disorder in Pakistan and the appalling infringement of the people’s fundamental right to life. Highlighting the obligation of the state to ensure peace and safety, as promised by Article 9 of the Constitution of Pakistan, it nonetheless seems clear that it is failing to uphold this responsibility.
The reasons for this failure are manifold, but there is a growing consensus that if the state continues to disregard its constitutional duties, it risks repudiation by the people. Unless there is a significant shift in national policy and practice towards upholding and protecting citizens’ rights, the current ‘rule of barbarianism’ will only continue to tarnish the nation’s history and tear at the common fabric of society.