The suicide bombing on the other side of the border which claimed more than 50 innocent civilians and left over 100 injured is not to be taken in isolation. The incident may have far reaching repercussions. During the decades long militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, never ever has this border point, which has been a tourist attraction, targeted by militants. Any tour of Punjab especially a visit to Amritsar is incomplete if one does not visit the Attari- Wagah point to see the sunset ceremony staged by BSF on the Indian side and Rangers on Pakistan side choreographed by contempt, martial music and macho coming aggression system holding India-Pak face off. The blast at this point opens up new challenges thrown up by terrorism and blinded by Pakistan’s Kashmir obsession. Pakistan is finding itself a soft target of destruction whether it is the last year’s Peshawar church bombing or the recent incident at Wagah. Pakistan has sowed the seeds of terrorism and is reaping its own fruit. But India cannot turn a blind eye to the incident near its borders. The incident reminds of what Punjab saw in eighties with Amritsar becoming a transit point for arms running. The militant organisations in Pakistan have claimed the attacks were to avenge Pakistan Army’s operation Zarb-i-Azb tackling militants in North Wazaristan. With al-Qaida opening new South Asia chapter and American withdrawal from Afghanistan nearing , the regional arch of uncertainty and instability will only intensify. There has been one attempt in the past to attack soldiers of both the countries at the prominent border post. On 31st December 2009, Pakistani officials arrested two men for attempting to attack the Wagah border. One of them was a suicide bomber, and the other a mastermind behind a previous attack in that country. The two had planned to cause casualties on the Indian side. Both India and Pakistan have to address the new face of threat with new vigour and mindset rather than obsessed with parochial issues and becoming soft target in the hands of terror organisations.
