Turning Point in Pakistan?

Lisa Curtis / May 27, 2009

Pakistani paramilitary troops secure the area in front of the destroyed police emergency response office building following a suicide car bomb attack in Lahore on May 27, 2009. Twenty-three people were killed and about 250 injured in a suicide car bomb attack that destroyed a police building in the Pakistani city of Lahore on May 27, an administration official said.

Today’s bombing in Lahore – the third major terrorist attack in Pakistan’s cultural capital this year – is likely retaliation for the Pakistan military’s recent operations in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). On April 24th, the military started operations to roll back the Taliban in the Buner, Dir and Swat Valley districts of the NWFP.

The latest incident demonstrates the militants are capable of attacking anywhere in the country. The militants are seeking to intimidate the Pakistani people and weaken Pakistani resolve in the fight against terrorism. In the past, such attacks have swayed public opinion in favor of peace talks instead of military operations. (more…)