The choice of location is telling. An attack in or
near the federal capital is a deliberate message: those entrusted with national
security are being exposed as vulnerable. This is about demonstrating
institutional weakness, not simply causing casualties.
Targeting Shias at a place of worship is tactically
calculated to manufacture the illusion of sectarian conflict. Pakistan’s
Shia and Sunni communities have coexisted for decades. By creating the
perception of intra-Muslim hostility, the perpetrators hope to provoke
mistrust, social fragmentation, and internal tension—classic tools to weaken a
nation from within.
Timing is critical. After prolonged economic strain,
Pakistan is showing early signs of recovery—stabilizing markets,
cautious investor interest, and renewed trade activity. Terrorism at this
juncture is meant to undermine confidence, discourage investment, and
stall the revival.
The attack also feeds into the Afghan blame narrative.
Linking violence to cross-border militancy or safe havens conveniently shifts
attention from the real sponsors, strains Pakistan-Afghanistan relations, and
disrupts the flow of Afghan transit trade—a vital lifeline for both economies.
To call this “sectarian killing” is to misdiagnose the
problem. The reality is far more calculated: a foreign hand is striking at security
credibility, social harmony, regional diplomacy, and economic momentum. The
question is not who was killed, but who benefits. And the answer lies
far beyond sectarian lines.
Pakistan cannot allow its narrative to be hijacked.
Recognizing the true nature of these attacks is the first step toward ensuring
that security, economic revival, and regional cooperation are not held
hostage by external designs.
