[DAWN] A WEEK after the brutal slaying of around 50 Shia Ismaili Moslems in Bloody Karachi...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
, there seems to be some forward movement in the case. On Wednesday, Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan told the media that the criminal mastermind as well as the operatives involved in the bus attack were in jug. It was also claimed that the suspects were involved in a large number of crimes, including the murder of activist Sabeen Mahmud, the attempt on American academic Debra Lobo's life as well as various other acts of terrorism in Karachi. Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah held a similarly themed briefing, in which he gave greater details about the men in jug, as well as the crimes they have allegedly committed. While the men have not been linked to any group, one suspect is said to have been in contact with slain Al Qaeda chief the late Osama bin Laden
... who used to be alive but now he's not...
, as well as his successor Ayman al-
Zawahiri... Formerly second in command of al-Qaeda, now the head cheese, occasionally described as
the real brains of the outfit.Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's fatwa entitled World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders. Currently residing in the North Wazoo area. That is not a horn growing from the middle of his forehead, but a prayer bump, attesting to how devout he is...
. Much of the information has apparently been obtained through confessions, hence it will be up to the joint interrogation team to dig deeper and come up with solid evidence that can be used to prosecute these individuals. What is of particular concern, however, is that most of the suspects were "well-educated", reportedly having studied disciplines as diverse as business administration, engineering and Islamic studies from reputable public and private universities in Karachi. While this is not for the first time that claims have emerged of 'educated' murderous Moslems carrying out acts of terrorism, it certainly raises a red flag that the state and academic institutions in Pakistain cannot afford to ignore.
While the generally accepted stereotype of the Islamist bully boy in Pakistain is that of the madressah-going talib usually from an economically disadvantaged background, the recent revelations -- as well as past incidents -- point to another kind of hard boy fighter: the university-educated, tech-savvy jihadi. Students linked to hard boy outfits have in the past been picked up from varsities in Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots....
while more recently, a public university in Islamabad was accused of promoting a sectarian doctrine on campus. Also, many of the Western jihadi fighters currently involved in conflicts in the Middle East come from educated backgrounds. While it would be premature to label Pakistain's university campuses as hotbeds of extremism, there is certainly a problem with educated young individuals willing to take up the gun in the name of faith. The general rightward shift of society over the last few decades, as well as the establishment's overt and covert policy of supporting so-called jihad, is partly to blame. These individuals may also be adopting the path of militancy in reaction to perceived injustices against Moslems in different parts of the world. Whatever the cause, the state -- with the help of academia -- needs to address the issue of extremism on the campus before more space is lost to fanatical, murderous ideologies.