The Wall Street Journal-20080111-Politics - Economics- Election Fears in Pakistan Build With Bombing in Quiet Lahore
Return to: The_Wall_Street_Journal-20080111
Politics & Economics: Election Fears in Pakistan Build With Bombing in Quiet Lahore
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- A suicide-bomb attack amid hundreds of Pakistani police killed at least 25 people and compounded fears that further carnage could derail elections planned for next month.
The bombing in Lahore, minutes before a planned antigovernment protest, came amid heightened tensions following the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto two weeks ago. It was the latest in a spate of suicide attacks widely blamed on Islamist militants and targeting security forces and politicians in the last few months.
The parliamentary elections are seen as vital for Pakistan's promised transition to civilian-led democratic rule after eight years under President Pervez Musharraf's military-installed government, which came to power in a 1999 coup.
The attack in the center of what was a relatively peaceful major Pakistani city is likely to cause new anxiety over whether campaigning for the election, scheduled for Feb. 18, can proceed without further violence.
The government has disclosed the names of a half-dozen top political leaders, representing pro-government and opposition factions, who it said were on terrorist hit lists.
Information minister Nisar Memon said that the violence wouldn't affect the election schedule.
Mr. Musharraf condemned the bombing, saying his government would continue to fight militants. "We will continue the fight against terrorism and extremism and not to be deterred by such acts," he was quoted as saying yesterday by the official Associated Press of Pakistan news agency.
But opposition politicians said Mr. Musharraf hasn't done enough. "The country has been pushed to the brink because of Musharraf's failed policies," said Ahsan Iqbal, a spokesman for the opposition Pakistan Muslim League (N) party led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. "He has used war on terror for perpetuation of his rule and done nothing to curb terrorism."
The attack was the first suicide bombing in Lahore, a city of seven million people and the capital of Punjab province, since the wave of attacks began last year. Security had been beefed up in the city as in the other parts of Pakistan for the Islamic holy month of Moharram, which is often marred by sectarian violence between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.
The suspected 19-year-old bomber blew himself up amid hundreds of riot police deployed outside Lahore's High Court building ahead of a planned antigovernment protest by lawyers, killing at least 22 police officers.
The explosion ripped through the busy square in front of the court building, causing widespread damage. Scores of policemen were wounded, many of them critically. "The target was the police force," Lahore Police Chief Nasim Ahmed told reporters.
The bombing occurred 15 minutes before the lawyers' weekly protest rally against Mr. Musharraf was due to begin.
It was the worst incident of violence since a gun and suicide attack killed Ms. Bhutto after she addressed a campaign rally in the garrison town of Rawalpindi on Dec. 27.
The rise in terrorism has fueled international fears for the stability of the nuclear-armed Islamic nation, a strategic U.S. ally.
The assassination of Ms. Bhutto, twice prime minister and a pro- Western secular leader, sparked violent protests across the country that left dozens of people dead and forced a six-week postponement in the elections.
There wasn't any immediate claim of responsibility for the Lahore attack. Pakistani security officials said they suspected militants linked to the Taliban and al Qaeda of being involved. They said a militant group Mr. Musharraf blames for masterminding Ms. Bhutto's murder might also be linked to the Lahore bombing.
Pakistani security officials have attributed previous suicide bombings to Baitullah Mehsud, a pro-al Qaeda leader of militants spearheading fighting against government forces in the lawless Waziristan tribal region. The attacks on security forces have increased since the government stepped up operations against the militants.
Mr. Musharraf has also accused him of being behind the attack that killed Ms. Bhutto, an allegation Mr. Mehsud has denied through intermediaries.
