'We are dealing with organised terrorism fathered by a few religious bigots and fanatics'

A string of cold blooded retaliatory killings among the Shi'ites and Sunnis, the two dominant sects in Pakistan, is causing great sectarian tension in that country.

In Punjab alone, over 80 people have been killed this year. The state, besides being home to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief, is the country's most populated province and is a base for many extremist organisations.

The upsurge of sectarian violence has cast a shadow on the three-month-old government's efforts to regain investor confidence in Pakistan and rebuild the cash-strapped economy.

Sharief is taking a personal interest in containing the violence, but apart from tightening security and calling out the army in several cities to assist civil administration, the government has not got around to really tackling the problem.

Recently, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharief, the prime minister's younger brother, had got 15 religious and sectarian parties to agree to a "code of ethics" aimed at defusing religious tension. But the peace lasted only 24 hours. The very next day, three people, including a senior police superintendent in Gujranwala, were murdered in cold blood, triggering off a wave of fear even among the police.

Political analysts point out that though top sectarian leaders are ready for peace, they can no longer contain their rogue young. "The normal methods of controlling law and order will not work in this situation," says research scholar Suroosh Irfani, "A multi-pronged, long-term solution must be sought."

"There are members of both sects who condemn the terrorist methods, but who share their theological attitudes. It is from these ranks that recruits for terror emerge," says Lahore-based political analyst M A Niazi.

Exasperated with the escalating violence, the Punjab chief minister recently threatened to hang extremists in public. The threat drew a number of protests from human rights organisations, who pointed out that capital punishment has never proved an effective deterrent.

"If terrorists haven't been prevented by the fear of hanging in private, will they be stopped by the fear of hanging publicly?" asks prominent lawyer and Human Rights Commission of Pakistan chairperson Asma Jahangir.

The HRCP is concerned about the government's proposed plan to launch a massive mop-up operation in the affected areas, and enact special anti-terrorist legalisation aimed at containing religious terrorism.

But observers point out that legislation and administrative measures are not enough in a country where the guilty are rarely punished according to the laws that already exist. The problem is linked to illiteracy and unemployment.

Hussain Naqi, a Lahore-based rights activists, thinks the government should scrutinise the proliferating madarsas (religious schools.) Run by religious sects, which provide meals and basic religious education to boys from poor families, the schools were the recruiting grounds for Mujahiddin fighters during the United States-backed war in Afghanistan against the Communist-government.

When that war came to an end, many veterans returned to their bases in Pakistan. "Trained to fight and hate those with beliefs other than their own, they are now targetting members of rival religious sects," Afghan-watchers say.

"We are not faced with sectarian violence in the classic sense that could erupt instantly without any notice," notes Islamabad-based political observer Jamilur Rehman, "Here we are dealing with organised terrorism fathered by a few religious bigots and fanatics."

UNI