Taunsa bombing

Whenever it appears that the security situation in the country is getting better, terrorist violence rears its ugly head. On Wednesday, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the political office of PML-N lawmaker Amjad Farooq Khosa in the Taunsa Sharif area in Dera Ghazi Khan. While the MNA was not near his political office at the time, over 100 people were present as the bomb went off. At least seven people died while over a dozen were injured in the deadly attack. The dead included two PML-N candidates for the upcoming local bodies election. The absence of the MNA suggests either that the attack was a mistake or that the attack was actually targeted at destabilising the upcoming local bodies elections. The lawmaker himself claims to have never have received any direct threats. After the attack, the Jamaatul Ahrar group, formerly affiliated with the TTP, claimed responsibility but it is unclear why they chose what appears to be a fairly ‘soft’ target. Was the attack meant as a signal to the ruling PML-N? Or is it a signal to the people of Pakistan that the terrorists are alive and well?
Whatever the case may be, the attack thankfully missed the strong target of the MNA, which perhaps suggests that terrorist groups are now operating from a weaker position than before. Coming months after the fatal attack on the then Punjab home minister Colonel (r) Shuja Khanzada, the early panic created after the attack was whether it had been another successful assassination attempt. There was mild relief all across once it became clear that the PML-N lawmaker was in fact still in Islamabad. Condemnations came from the entire political leadership of the country, including the prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan. The big question now is whether terrorist groups have decided to target the country’s political leadership once again? Moreover, is the ruling PML-N now fair game for terrorists after being off their radar for at least a decade? The attack certainly calls for precaution during the upcoming local bodies election campaigns across Punjab and Sindh, especially after intelligence reports have confirmed the strong presence of Isis-affiliated terrorists in the country. The terrorist threat is very much alive in the country, even if the groups have been weakened by the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb.