The terrifying blast that ripped through the heart of Lahore–which, by extension, has its fingers on the cultural pulse of the country–is ominous for the coming days. From the looks of it, the terror tentacles are back and a much, much greater vigilance is needed. Though a follow-up investigation would shed more light on how a bomb so powerful (that it could send shockwaves to several shops nearby) was brought in the midst of a bustling centre, that too, in broad daylight, one thing is already established: the alleged perpetrators definitely spent a considerable time dotting their i’s and crossing their t’s for the lethal mission. And this fact alone speaks volumes about the urgency in ringing alarm bells. The viciousness of a terror group should not be ascertained by the lives its bloodbath managed to consume but by the red target, it seemed to have in mind. Two lives are said to have been taken this time, but the casualties could have easily crossed dozens, if not hundreds. An incredibly large number of people visit Anarkali Bazaar every day while almost every Lahori loves being mesmerised by its nostalgic scent. Hence, Anwar Masood’s pholiye majjay!
But sadly, today is not about shedding tears at the proverbial dent in the wall. It would be no use delaying the fortifying exercises until the situation gets out of hand. Clearly, no one wants a bloodied recap of when barbaric attacks were the order of the day as extremist forces had everywhere from schools to parks to FIA buildings to police stations smacked under their thumb.
