1 Km to civil war
Pakistan nation witnessed yet again a terrorist attack on its soil. This time, it was the Marriot hotel in Islamabad which left over 50 dead and 100’s injured. The intensity of the blast was so huge that the spot where it occurred made a 25 feet hole and shattered all the windows in a 2 kilometer radius. This was just a blast among the many series that have been taking place, but this blast had some remarkable and important questions being asked.
Marriot hotel is not more than 1 kilometer from the Prime Minister’s house, the Presidency, the Parliament, the Supreme Court and the Secretariat. Therefore, this blast was an alarm sent to all those concerned that we are heading towards a dead end. The security in the capital was said to be of high level, keeping in view that the President was to address the parliament after a gap of over 7 years. The city saw all the political newsmakers under one roof at the parliament building and just when the blast occurred, the Prime Minister was having his private party with all political, army and bureaucracy invited. That is when a truck laden with 1000 kg of explosive enters the capital and rams itself into the Marriot just 1 kilometer away from the symbol of the government’s writ.
The Prime Minister said that the target was the Prime Minister house and the Parliament while his advisor to the interior Rehman Malik said that the target was the Marriot itself. This showed the confusion and unstable position the government was in after the deadly blasts. It is rumored that Rehman Malik shouted “On the floor everyone” at the Prime Ministers ifftar party soon after the blast impact was felt, shattering the windows.
The blast, with TNT and RDX used in huge quantities has left the nation wondering – How close are we to a civil war if we are not there yet?
